Situations to Solve
by catlover1033
Summary: Nancy Drew is facing a new problem, one involving moving her family forward from their past, a murder case, and a very stubborn Frank Hardy. As danger and conflict escalate, the whole family, including Joe, Vanessa, Fenton, and Laura, are left wondering how and if they'll make it through all this. Sequel to Moving Forward. T for mild language & violence. Please Read & Review! :)
1. The Quiet Before

_**I'm back! Yay! This story was very challenging to start because of all the different perspectives and people I want in the story, but I'm happy with what I have so far. There might not be a lot on Helen, just because I'm trying to balance so many characters, but I promise to do my best to get her story in there. Laura and Fenton are in this story and play a larger role.**_

_**Yes there will be action, not just relational issues. There will be a mystery, danger, etc.**_

_**If you haven't read Moving Forward, I would recommend it, although I suppose it would be possible to read this without that back story. It just might be kind of confusing... (yes, Nancy has three children, Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy, and she is divorced, Joe and Vanessa are married with one son, Ivan, and Frank and Nancy are dating) The pace of this story will be somewhat different though.**_

_**I'll be updating regularly like always. I go about every other day for updates, although that isn't fixed in stone.**_

_**Please enjoy! And please take the time to leave me a review telling what you think! Makes my day :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

* * *

"And that's what a police officer does," Joe finished, glancing over the classroom of first graders. To be honest, he was pretty happy with the impression he was having on the little kids. He knew he cut a striking figure with his neat uniform and badges, along with the handcuffs and taser securely fastened to his belt, not to mention the gun. Most of them were staring at him as if he were some sort of god.

Joe caught the eye of a strawberry blond boy near the back of the class and winked. He was immediately rewarded with a huge smile.

"Any questions?" Joe asked, shifting slightly, his heavy black boots making a dull thudding sound against the tile floor. A wave of hands went up.

"Have you ever arrested somebody?" a small blond girl wanted to know.

"Yes, many times," Joe nodded, trying to look professional. The class stirred with excitement, and the admiration on the little faces grew. He was about to call on another child when the bell rang, signaling class was over.

"Alright class, can you thank Officer Hardy for coming and talking to you all?" the teacher, a gentle young woman asked.

"Thank you Officer Hardy!" the class chorused. For a moment it was mass chaos as the first graders swarmed out of the room, several pausing to talk to Joe or admire his uniform.

"Hi Joe!" The strawberry blond boy trotted up to him with a large smile.

"Hey Nick! I'm taking you home today since I'm already here!"

"Yay!" Nick cheered.

"How did you think my talk was?" Joe asked, taking his small hand and walking with Nick down the loud hallway and out the school door.

"It was good," Nick nodded approvingly. "I liked the part when you talked about how you tackled that robber and saved a kid from a burning building at the same time."

"About that... I might have exaggerated that story a little bit..." Joe cleared his throat guiltily, unlocking his car. "Don't tell Vanessa."

Nick gave him a solemn look.

"I thought you might have changed it," he sighed, looking very disappointed. "I'm going to have to tell Mommy and Vanessa if they ask."

Joe helped Nick get into his carseat, trying very hard to look properly admonished.

"Alright, I suppose you'll have to," Joe sighed, getting into the front seat, desperately trying to stifle the laughter that was causing him to physically shake. Six year old Nick was always a blast to be around. "Just try not to get me into too much trouble."

"Alright," Nick agreed. "I'll try. Are we picking up Zoe and Lizzy?"

"Yes, and Ivan too." Joe started the car, his thoughts briefly flicking to Frank. He was thrilled his brother was living in town now.

"Is Frank at work?" Nick asked, causing Joe to start. He didn't know how the boy did it, but Nick always seemed to be able to guess what people were thinking about. It reminded Joe of Nancy, and it was obvious where the boy got his observational skills.

"Yep. You'll probably see him later though," Joe said, pulling up at the daycare. He glanced at his watch and saw that they were a couple minutes late. Well, he didn't do this routine every day like Vanessa, only when he had a day off work. Because Vanessa worked as a nurse part time, she was able to pick up the kids usually, including Nancy Drew's children, since Nancy didn't have a car yet.

And Joe was happy for the opportunity to spend some time with Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy.

He was even happier that after a month and a half of carefully building up relationships with Nancy's children, they were finally starting to trust him enough that he could be alone with them without them being afraid or uneasy. Part of him was hurt that they had accepted Frank so quickly, but looking back, Joe realized it made sense. Frank had been with the children more, and he had played with them in some pretty tough times, making them associate him with happiness and playing. Not to mention the way that Frank made Nancy happy. Nancy's children could definitely pick that up.

But that was all of the past, and Joe was just satisfied that Nick was becoming his buddy as well.

* * *

"Hmm, can a debtor be held responsible for lien after discharge?" Nancy mused, flipping through her law book.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea. I don't even know what a lien is." Frank shook his head, looking up from his laptop. Nancy glanced his way, blue eyes glinting mischievously.

"C'mon. I helped you find that lead on your case." She leaned towards him, and Frank's pulse rose.

"Sorry Drew. You'll have to look it up because I have absolutely no idea," he murmured, leaning to meet Nancy's lips with his own. After a second Nancy broke off the kiss and leaned back.

"We're horrible work buddies," she laughed. Frank smiled, but a troubled expression passed over his face.

"It's more that I'm at a dead end on this case," he sighed, trying to stifle his frustration. His first case at his new job as Detective of the Oakfield Police Fleet was not going well.

Almost as soon as he took the job, the case of a young man who died of drug overdose was given to Frank. The death had been re-filed as suspected homicide after the police had received an anonymous tip that Theo Salder had been murdered.

However, other than that, there was little information to work off, and Frank was becoming to be a bit frustrated with the dead ends he kept ending up at. Not only that, but he had wanted to impress his new boss. After all, this was his first case on his new job.

Nancy's expression softened.

"I know. I was just kidding. I think we actually work pretty well together."

"Any chance you want to join the detective field?" Frank asked hopefully, half kidding. Goodness knew he could use some help on the case.

"You need a haircut," Nancy ignored his question and stared at him thoughtfully, her chin rested in one slender hand.

Frank ran his fingers through his thick dark hair and noted that it was in fact getting long.

"I'm trying to go for a hippie look," he tried with a smile.

"Well, lose it." Nancy brushed a strand of strawberry blond hair out of her face, her eyes already flitting back to her textbook.

"It's my hair," Frank protested.

"As your girlfriend, it's my job to make sure you're presentable," Nancy informed him. "So go through what you know about the case," Nancy changed the subject, putting down her book again.

"Again?" Frank groaned. Nancy crossed her arms and looked at him steadily. "Slave driver," Frank pouted. Gosh, how was Nancy so beautiful even when she was staring him down?

His hand went subconsciously to his coat pocket, fingertips brushing against the velvet jewelry box there. It had been sitting in his coat pocket for almost a week.

"Deal with it, Hardy." Frank felt his pulse rise again at Nancy's smile, but he took his hand out of his pocket. Maybe it was too soon. After all, they had only been dating for about two months. But somehow it felt like much longer.

Frank felt like he was home when he was with Nancy.

_You can face criminals with guns but you can't ask her a question?_

Frank ignored the thought and tried to focus on what Nancy had asked.

"Well, Theo Salder was found dead February 15th in his apartment room by his girlfriend. It was later discovered that he overdosed on heroin. The case was filed as possibly suicide or an accidental overdose, but the police received an anonymous tip on February 17th that Theo Salder was murdered."

"Anything else?" Nancy prompted, twirling her pencil.

"Well… I didn't have any leads until I got some advice from a close friend to talk to the relatives and friends of Salder and see if there was any information I could get from them…"

"And then?"

"I have a lot of information, but I'm not seeing anything suspicious…"

Suddenly loud music began playing, startling both Frank and Nancy.

_"Hey I just met you. And this is crazy. But here's my number. So call me maybe…"_

Frank scrambled for his phone, his face flushing, tearing it out of his pocket. "I swear, I'm going to kill Joe. He keeps changing my ringtone…" Frank finally got out his cell phone and opened it, trying to ignore the fact that Nancy was laughing hysterically beside him.

"Hello?"

"Hey Frank, it's Ryan."

"Hey, Ryan, what's up?" Frank asked. "Is it important, because I'm kind of working right now?" Frank glanced at Nancy who was once again buried in her books, smiling.

"Um, yeah it's important. Frank, we found a body that we think might be related to your case."

_**Please review! :)**_


	2. The Storm Begins

_**Okay, second chapter!**_

_**You all are really amazing! I love getting reviews and it's so encouraging to hear that you enjoyed my last story and are looking forward to this one! Nancy is back to her spunky self, which I actually really do prefer to write. Thanks everyone for the kind reviews and thoughts!**_

_**Hmm... this chapter might seem a little random, but the event at the end is actually really important to the story line. I think it will make sense later. Just don't scream too loudly at me :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Or Zingerman's  
**_

Joe opened the preschool door, and Nick ran through the hallway ahead of him. When Joe finally caught up with the small boy, Nick was hugging his sister Zoe. The adorable four year old girl was hugging her big brother back and laughing.

"Hey Zoester!" Joe tousled her hair. "Ready to pick up Lizzy and Ivan?"

"Yeah!" Zoe smiled, revealing tiny dimples, and ran with Nick to the next room for the two year olds. Joe had to hand it to Nancy. Her kids were energetic, and he still wasn't quite sure how she managed to be a single mother of three. Joe's son Ivan was two, and Joe had thought that _he _was a lot of work. He couldn't imagine what it would be like adding two more children on top of his little boy's antics.

Then again… Joe's thoughts flickered excitedly to Vanessa.

"Daddy!" Ivan trotted down the hallway, a huge smile on his face. Joe felt a rush of love and happiness fill him.

"Ivan!" Joe scooped up his son and twirled him around, rewarded with a shriek of happy laughter.

"Where's Mommy?" Lizzy tugged on Joe's sleeve, looking up at him with huge blue eyes.

"She's taking a study day. So we're going to go back to my house."

Joe took in the three disappointed expressions. Nancy's children, if nothing else, were extremely attached to their mother. All three still had a lot of separation anxiety every time Nancy left. He knew he had to cheer them up quickly or he would be facing a meltdown. "But guess who's at our house?" Joe said excitedly, gently herding them towards the exit, exchanging a wave with the preschool teacher.

"Who?" Zoe asked curiously. Nick however wasn't falling for it.

"I want us to go home. We'll be quiet and help Mommy study!" he pouted, walking with Joe across the parking lot, holding Zoe's hand.

"Nick, Grandma and Grandpa are at our house, and they want to see you!" Joe told Nick, whose pout lifted slightly.

"Grandma and Grandpa?" he asked suspiciously, letting Joe buckle him into his booster seat.

"Yes. They're coming to stay at our house for awhile," Joe explained.

Laura and Fenton Hardy, upon learning that both Frank and Joe would be living Oakfield, had decided to pull up their roots from Bayport, and transplant to Oakfield. Joe was thrilled that his parents would be so close by, as well as Frank.

However, he wondered if the fact that both Laura and Fenton had fallen in love with Nancy and her children influenced their decision to move.

After the older couple arrived at his house on Christmas day, Joe had noticed that they immediately took to Nancy and her three children. Both Fenton and Laura were usually around Nancy, talking and joking with her, or playing with her kids and Ivan. Joe saw an obvious bond forming between his parents and Nancy, and knew that his parents felt as if they had gained another child, along with three new grandchildren.

This feeling was obviously mutual as Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy began calling Laura and Fenton Grandma and Grandpa.

"They're at your house?" Zoe's brow furrowed. "What about Mommy?"

"Your mom is still at home. But Grandma and Grandpa really want to say hi to you before I take you home." Joe glanced at Nick who still looked upset. Zoe and Lizzy were also watching their brother, and Joe knew they would go with whatever Nick decided.

"Alright," Nick agreed reluctantly.

* * *

Nancy watched Frank snap his cell phone shut.

"You better go in," she told him. He gave her a regretful look, hastily stuffing his papers and laptop into his bag. "Look, Nancy…" Frank bit his lip. _What was wrong with him! Usually he would be dying to get out there into a case!_

"Frank, get out there! You have a case to solve!" Nancy stood up and pulled him to the door. "Tell me all about whatever happened, okay?" Nancy smiled, blue eyes twinkling. A surge of energy and motivation filled Frank, and he straightened and grabbed his bag.

"I'll give you a call after I find out what's going on," Frank promised.

Nancy watched him jog out of the house, almost wistfully. Then she looked back at her books and sat down. However she couldn't focus on her studies. She kept looking a sentence and reading it over and over again without understanding what it said.

Her eye fell on a sheet of paper on the ground.

"Frank must have dropped this," she murmured, picking it up. Nancy scanned the document, and saw it was notes from interviewing Greta Patterson, the girlfriend of Theo Salder. _I should probably tell Frank he forgot his notes. But... I don't want to interrupt him if he's in something important._..

Fascinated and unable to resist her growing curiosity, Nancy began reading the interview. Apparently Greta Patterson had known about her boyfriend's addiction, but was trying to help Theo get over it.

The door opened, causing Nancy to start and look up.

"Hi Helen!" Nancy smiled, standing up to greet her friend.

The slim woman was dressed in a black skirt and a white shirt with _Zingerman's_ embroidered on the sleeve. Her gentle brown eyes were shining and absentmindedly she pulled her thick brown hair out of a ponytail, letting it fall around her kind face.

"Hi Nancy! How is the studying going?" Helen asked, shrugging her cardigan off.

"Frank was here. We got a little distracted," Nancy said ruefully, catching Helen's soft smile. "How was work?"

"It was good. Fridays usually are a little bit busier, so the tips were higher than usual," Helen tried to press some bills into Nancy's hand.

"Helen, no," Nancy pulled her hands back as Helen attempted to give her the money.

"Nancy!" Helen groaned, still holding out the bills. The two women stared at each other. "Next time, you're getting it all," Helen finally gave in, tucking the money into her pocket.

"Helen, you don't owe me anything," Nancy shook her head, moving to the kitchen to get her friend a glass of water. "I've told you a billion times. We had an extra room anyways."

"Nancy, the kids are sleeping in your room because I'm in the other bedroom," Helen said softly and took the glass of water, cupping it in her hands.

Nancy turned to face her friend, recognizing the familiar look of guilt and shame on her friend's face. _How many times had she worn that expression herself?_ While living with the Hardys, Nancy had constantly felt that way. But she didn't want Helen to keep paying her.

"The kids would sleep in my bed anyways," Nancy said slowly, still thinking. "Alright, I guess it would help with the groceries. But I'm only taking half."

Helen smiled triumphantly and gave Nancy a twenty dollar bill.

"Where are the kids?"

"They're at Joe and Vanessa's house. Joe said Laura and Fenton could watch them so that I could get some more work done," Nancy absentmindedly poured herself a glass of water. "But I have to admit that I miss them."

"I'm sure Nick isn't happy with that agreement," Helen said sympathetically. Living in the same house as Nancy and her three children, she had witnessed a lot of the difficulty the small family had as a result of Nancy switching from a stay at home mom to law student.

"I'm afraid that it's actually making him more attached to me," Nancy mused, taking a sip of water, blue eyes clouding with worry. Suddenly she straightened, hearing a faint thud near the door. _It's too early for the kids to be back… Unless something happened…_

Nancy threw a confused look at Helen and slowly moved towards the door.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and a series of popping sounds.

Nancy's instincts kicked in instantly, and she twisted midstride, pushing Helen down, wincing as she felt a twinge of pain in her arm. She glanced behind her to see a tall figure in black holding a large gun.

"Helen! Get behind the kitchen island!" Nancy shouted, half dragging her friend behind the counter. _Why, why, why? Why was this happening? Who was after them?  
_

A couple other shots whizzed over the counter, and glass crashed down on Nancy and Helen as the window broke. Helen screamed, putting her arms over her head. Nancy snapped back to attention. Now was not the right time to analyze what was happening- she needed to focus on keeping her friend safe. Thinking could come later. Nancy grabbed Helen's hand, and was concerned to find it cold and clammy. A quick glance at her friend quickly revealed that Helen's breathing was faint, and her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Helen, take a deep breath, I'm going to call the police," Nancy whispered, afraid her friend was going into shock, pulling out her cell phone, dialing 911. Another shot flew over the counter as she quickly told the worker at 911 of the situation, crouching behind the counter.

The wooden floor creaked. The shooter was taking a step forward.

Nancy knew that they were cornered.

* * *

_**Okay, seems a little random, I know. But let's be honest. This is Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy we're talking about. Which makes pretty much nothing random :D**_

_**I'll try not to leave you all hanging too long! (I know, it's only the second chapter and there's a cliffy!)**_

_**Please review! :)**_


	3. Thunder Clouds

_**Do you know what's really good? Hummus and bread. Seriously one of the best snacks ever.**_

_**Anyways, now that you have that fun fact, here is the next chapter! It's pretty long, lucky you :D  
**_

_**Thanks to everybody for the amazing reviews. You are all so great for taking a moment to give me some feedback! (to Guest#1, you're right, Zingerman's is in Ann Arbor. I guess I grabbed the first name I thought of. But Oakfield is completely fictional, so I suppose there could be a Zingerman's there :D) And FutureAnimator: That review was so incredibly encouraging. Thank you.  
**_

_**Please enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review :)  
**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Or the game Go Fish.  
**_

* * *

"Go fish!" Zoe squealed, sitting on Laura Hardy's lap, a big smile on her face. Laura's graying blond hair was falling gracefully around her face, and her brown eyes were bright.

Time had been kind to both Laura and Fenton Hardy, leaving them only with some grey hairs, occasional aches, and some lines on their faces, mostly from smiling. Both felt young and blessed, with children and grandchildren.

"Aww," Vanessa groaned, picking a card from the middle of table, gently taking a card from Ivan's hand as the small boy began chewing on the corner.

"Nick, it's your turn," Fenton Hardy smiled at the small boy sitting beside him.

"I'm tired of this game," Nick sighed, blinking his long lashes.

"We just started," Fenton reminded him kindly. Nick's lip quivered slightly.

"I want to go home now and see Mommy. I haven't seen her all day," Nick told Fenton.

"I know, sport, but she's working right now. How was your day at school?" Fenton carefully guided Nick away from the table so that the others could play without them.

"No, no, no," Nick shook his head stubbornly. "I want to go home now."

"Nick, your mom needs you to wait here for a little bit. You'll be going home soon." Fenton watched Nick's expression.

Fenton had been surprised to find that a young woman was staying with his son Joe and his wife when he and Laura had shown up for Christmas. However, he had quickly recognized the woman as Nancy Drew, a girl he had met a couple times when she and Frank and Joe had all been teenagers.

Now Fenton couldn't imagine life without Nancy and her three children. Upon meeting and talking with Nancy, Fenton almost felt as though he and Laura had finally gained the daughter they had never had.

Going through the trial of Nancy's ex-husband had been hard for them all, but the whole family rejoiced when Tom was sent to jail and Nancy was given full parental rights after Tom signed them away.

When Nancy moved into her own apartment, Fenton and Laura had a serious talk and decided to move up to Oakfield. Especially since Frank was also moving into town.

Fenton felt happier than he had in a long time, with his children and friends around him. However, working with Nancy's children could be a challenge sometimes. They were all working together to try and help Nick and the girls adjust to Nancy's new schedule, but the three children were fiercely attached to their mother.

"No, Grandpa, I want to go home," Nick took Fenton's large worn hand in his small smooth hands. His blue eyes were making Fenton's heart melt.

"Oh my god…"

Fenton turned to see Joe staring at his laptop screen, handsome face pale.

"What is it?" Fenton asked with alarm.

"I need to go." Joe glanced at Nick and stood up. Fenton followed him out of the room. "Dad, I just go an alert from work. There's a report of someone shooting in a house." Joe said in a low voice, aware of Nick playing in the other room.

Fenton's eyes widened.

"It can't be …" he began.

"Dad, the address was Nancy's apartment."

* * *

Strictly speaking, Joe knew he wasn't on duty. But he didn't give a darn at the moment.

Leaving the engine of his car still running, Joe ran out of his house and towards the apartment complex, which had two police cars parked in front of it, as well as an ambulance.

"Joe! What are you doing here?" a burly police officer asked Joe confusedly, getting out of his police car. Joe ignored him, instead heading straight towards the two women standing on the lawn, one with her arm around the other.

"Nancy!" Joe gasped. "Helen! Are you two okay? What happened?" Joe quickly looked Nancy and Helen over and was infinitely relieved to see that neither was seriously harmed. The worst injury seemed to be a cut on Nancy's upper arm.

Relief flooded over him. He had been seriously frightened that he would have to identify bodies. Which was something Joe never, ever, ever, wanted to do.

"Got grazed by a bullet," Nancy followed Joe's gaze, brushing a strand of red-blonde hair out of her face.

"What happened?!"

Nancy opened her mouth to respond but was cut off.

"That's what I've been trying to find out…" A tall lanky policeman stepped into Joe's view. With a tinge of annoyance, Joe recognized his colleague.

"Hey Lance," he said unenthusiastically. Lance frowned down at Joe, a feat considering Joe was pretty tall.

"Joe, what are you doing here? You're off duty," Lance crossed his arms. "And now you're interrupting my questioning of the witnesses."

"Dude, did you even check if they needed medical attention?" Joe's annoyance flared to anger at his colleague's patronizing tone. "You know that comes before questioning!"

"Joe, you're off duty and I'm your senior. Don't tell me what to do," Lance growled, his green eyes sparking. Suddenly Joe realized that Lance was playing tough because Nancy was there.

_That….._

"I don't mind giving my statement. But I want Joe to stay here," Nancy interrupted.

"Of course, ma'am," Lance's expression changed instantly, and Joe felt another burst of anger at the appreciative look Lance gave Nancy.

_Good thing Frank isn't here…_ He probably would have clobbered Lance for even looking Nancy over.

Joe listened attentively as Nancy told him and Lance about the black clothed shooter who broke into the apartment. Police officers were interviewing other witnesses, and the apartment was being taped off.

"He fired off a couple more shots then left. We didn't come out of hiding until the police arrived. And here you are."

Finally Nancy stopped talking, and Lance opened his mouth to ask a question.

"I'm sorry Officer, but my friend isn't feeling well. I think we're done here anyways," Nancy cut Lance off, wrapping her arm around Helen, and moving past him.

Joe chuckled at the dumbfounded expression on Lance's face. _Shut down…_ he thought to himself with amusement.

"Yup. My brother's girlfriend is one tough lady," Joe smirked at Lance, not able to resist telling the man that Nancy was already taken, and then hurried to open his car door for Nancy and Helen.

"You okay Helen?" Joe got in the driver's seat and leaned back to glance at Helen. The pretty young woman was pale, but she nodded.

"Nancy was great, she probably saved my life. I just don't understand, what happened? Where did that guy come from? Why would somebody just break in and try to shoot us?" she asked shakily.

Nancy took a deep breath.

"He wasn't trying to shoot us."

"What?!" Joe gave her a questioning look. "But…"

"If he wanted to, he could have easily killed us. We were cornered behind the kitchen island. But he just shot around the room then left." Nancy rubbed her neck with a thoughtful expression. "I think he was trying to scare us."

_How is Nancy not freaked out about this?_ Joe wondered.

Nancy watched Joe's surprised expression following her statement. Her hand absentmindedly went to her arm and she winced. Looking at the shallow cut, so straight it could have been drawn with a ruler, on her arm, Nancy knew how lucky she was that she only got grazed. The gravity of the situation was only beginning to dawn on her, and she wrapped an arm around Helen, partly to comfort herself.

What if she hadn't gotten Helen behind the counter in time?

What if her children had been home?

That thought made Nancy's chest tighten. However she told herself, not for the first time, that she couldn't what-if all the time. They were all safe, and there wasn't much use on dwelling on what could have happened.

Instead, as Joe drove them towards his house, Nancy decided she was going to get to the bottom of this.

Why had someone broken into the apartment and shot around? Why would someone try to scare her?

Suddenly a thought popped into Nancy's mind.

_ Frank's case._

* * *

"I found him in the bathroom when I got home from work! How can he be dead?" A thin young woman with very curly brown hair sobbed.

"I'm so sorry. We'll figure out what happened," Frank told the lady, knowing his words probably weren't any comfort.

"Rhea!" An older woman ran up to the yard, which was taped off with yellow police tape. Frank allowed the woman escort the sobbing young lady away. Questions could wait.

Frank stepped back into the house with a heavy heart. He had seen many cases of death but it didn't make it any easier.

He took a deep breath then went to the site of the death, mentally preparing himself to see the body before entering the room.

"The only fingerprints in here are the victim's," an older man looked up at Frank, pausing from carefully dusting down the area."

"I think we're ready to take the body to the pathologist," a woman informed Frank, and he took a quick glance at the still form of Pency Waters. The young man looked as if he were simply asleep, but Frank knew better.

Glancing around the small bathroom, Frank's gaze fell on the orange pill bottle on the sink.

"You've done an analysis of the medicine, right?" he checked with one of the site sweepers.

"We have samples bagged and ready to go to the lab," the man nodded. Frank was pleased with how the cleanup crew was handling the situation. There were some major perks that went along with working for a larger police force- one being better qualified colleagues. Quickly Frank looked over the room, snapping some pictures, making notes on the layout.

He decided to give Rhea, Pency Water's fiancée, some time to take in what had happened before questioning her. Satisfied he had all the important information that the scene offered recorded, and knowing he would have to wait until lab samples and the autopsy came back, Frank decided he was set for the day. He gave the cleanup crew the okay on cleaning the site, and left the house, weaving between the parked police cars to his own car.

He was still waiting to see how the death tied in with the death of Theo Salder. Sighing, he unlocked his car.

Scenes of death were always hard.

Frank got into his car and was just starting the engine when he checked his phone.

Five missed calls from his father.

A slew of possibilities of disasters filled Frank's mind. Fenton was not the type of man to call a phone more than once over something mundane. Stifling his fear, he quickly called his father back.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad, what's up?" Frank tried to sound calm. "I saw you called." _Several times._

He heard Fenton take a deep breath on the other end, the slight sound causing fear to suddenly rise again in his chest.

"Frank, Joe left a while ago because he got a police alert that there was a shooter at Nancy's apartment." Fenton's voice was heavy.

Frank felt a surge of panic, his eyes widening as he processed what his father had said.

"I'm calling Joe." Frank abruptly hung up with his father, already dialing Joe's number.

_Pick up… pick up…_

_ What if Nancy was hurt? Were the kids home when it happened? What if…_

"Hello?"

"Joe!" Frank gasped. "Nancy?"

"She's okay Frank. Nobody was hurt. We're on our way back to my house."

"I'm on my way." Frank wasn't going to be satisfied until he saw Nancy with his own eyes.

He started the car, driving over the speed limit, thankful he was already in the area of Joe and Vanessa's house.

"Frank, calm down, geez, I don't want you to crash. Hold on…." There was a muffled conversation and suddenly Nancy's voice came through the phone.

"Frank?"

"Nancy," Frank finally let out his breath, letting relief flood him. He took a turn a little faster than necessary. "Are you okay? What happened? The kids? Hold on, I'm almost there."

Frank got out of his car, not caring that it was sticking way out into the street, making his way quickly up towards the house.

"Frank, we're not even there yet, Joe's driving us over, but we'll be there in a little bit. Only Helen and I were home, and we're both fine. I think we got visited by a hit man, and I think it was just to scare us because he could have killed us if he wanted, but instead he just fired some shots around. The apartment is pretty much ruined though…" Nancy trailed off.

Frank stood frozen in front of the door.

"Frank?"

A hit man.

Nancy wasn't doing anything that would warrant a hit man coming after her. She hadn't even solved a case in over ten years.

It had to be someone from one of his cases.

"Frank?" Nancy's voice was worried.

"Nancy…" Frank felt as if his world was hanging by a thread. _"…he could have killed us if he wanted…"_ Nancy's words rang in his head.

Nancy and her family could have been killed because of his case.

"Frank, talk to me. Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry, Nancy," Frank breathed, slowly shutting his cell phone.

Images were suddenly flashing through his head. Victims of criminals he had put behind bars replayed in his mind, the latest image being that of Percy Waters, whom he had just seen dead only twenty minutes ago.

Frank pulled the velvet jewelry box out of his pocket and numbly dropped it, kicking it into the bushes, the abruptly turned away from the house and got back in his car.

* * *

_**What do you all think?**_


	4. Back Again

_**I'm back! I don't know why, but I've had so much trouble naming the chapters in this story! So sorry that they aren't so great :P**_

_**Also, did I lose readers or are people busy this week? I noticed that a lot of my usually faithful reviewers didn't review! I just hope people aren't losing interest! Let me know if there's something I should improve.**_

_**Thank you for the amazing reviews! Please enjoy this chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

* * *

"Frank?" Nancy clutched the cell phone more tightly. "Frank?" She shot Helen a confused look. "He just hung up on me," she said with disbelief. Joe glanced back at her from the driver's seat, his blue eyes wide with shock.

"What the heck! He hung up on you?!" he asked, astonished.

"Nancy, he's probably really upset," Helen reasoned. "Wait for him to calm down."

Joe pulled up to the house, and Frank's car was nowhere in sight. Nancy felt a stab of worry and anger in her chest. _What the heck, Frank!_

Quickly she tried redialing his number, hoping perhaps he had hung up by accident. The call went straight to voicemail.

"What the hell!" Nancy's voice rose slightly, and her blue eyes clouded with anger.

"Come on, Nancy. You can sort things out with Frank later, probably everyone in the house right now is really worried about us," Helen said softly, touching her arm gently.

"Helen's right. Mom and Dad are probably freaking out," Joe agreed, although he was silently also silently berating Frank.

They had scarcely even opened the door when they were attacked by three small children.

"Mommy!" Nick shrieked, hugging Nancy tightly, while Lizzy and Zoe also swarmed around her. Nancy hugged her son and two daughters tightly, kissing Lizzy on the top of her head.

"Nancy!" Laura breathed a sigh of relief and the older woman moved to embrace Nancy, and then Helen. Fenton also looked relieved beyond words, simply silently hugging Nancy. She smiled, feeling his arms around her.

"I'm alright, Fenton."

"Thank God," Fenton shook his head, dark eyes shining with relief.

"You're staying with us," Vanessa stated, hugging Nancy fiercely.

"Well," Nancy said slowly, pulling back from Vanessa's embrace after a moment. "Taking in the state the apartment was when we left it, I guess we might need a place to stay," she admitted.

"What happened?" Nick looked back and forth between Nancy and Helen suspiciously, gripping Nancy's hand.

"The house gotten broken into. It's okay, only couple things were broken, but we need to stay here for awhile," Nancy explained.

"Where's Frank?" Fenton asked as they walked into the kitchen. Nancy picked up Lizzy, smoothing the toddler's red-blonde hair, hesitating before she answered.

_Good question. Where is Frank?_ Nancy knew that he was really upset about what happened. But why had he hung up on her? Usually he would be by her side in an instant if she as much as stubbed her toe. Something was up, and Nancy was more than a little annoyed at the way Frank was expressing that to her.

"Not sure." Nancy tried to keep her voice light. She glanced down at Nick who still had his arms wrapped around her waist, and gave him a one armed hug, still holding Lizzy in the other, not missing the look that Fenton and Joe gave each other.

_What the hell, Frank! After being a steady, overprotective, charming boyfriend, you don't appear after a shooter shows up at my house? Is something wrong?_

It was severely out of character and Nancy wanted to know what exactly was going through her boyfriend's head.

And she wanted to know why she had been threatened.

_Nancy could have been hurt. She could have been killed, and Helen. Her kids could have been killed. Nick, Lizzy, Zoe… Nancy…_

The thoughts kept swirling through Frank's head as he paced back and forth in his room. He wasn't even sure how he got back to his small downtown apartment. Part of him was dying to go to Nancy, to hold her in his arms, to reassure himself that she was alright.

The other, larger part of him didn't feel worthy of even going into her presence. And he knew if he saw her, he would lose all resolve and renew their relationship.

Frank was determined not to let that happen.

He had to do what was best for Nancy.

Now he realized that he had been so selfish when he had started their relationship. Had he even considered that he was putting Nancy and her family in danger because of his job? No. He hadn't even thought about that, and now Nancy was paying for it.

Frank sat down heavily, running a hand through his dark hair.

He was walking danger. Briefly he thought back to colleagues, partners who had been hurt. An image of Joe, beaten and bloody flashed into his mind.

Frank took a deep breath, resting his head in his hands, elbows propped up on the table. Nancy's beautiful image flashed through his mind.

_Don't go there. You can't have her._

With new determination, Frank threw himself into his work. He would find out what was going on and throw some people behind bars. But he knew that even when he caught the criminals, there would be more out there, and there would always be psycho, evil people from his past lurking. He would never be a safe person to be around.

That's why he had to end his relationship with Nancy.

Frank decided he would call Nancy the next day, to give her a night to recover from what had happened. Pain at what he was going to do ripped through him, and he hoped that Nancy would understand it was what was best for her and her kids. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to one of them.

He would explain it to her. It wasn't a rash decision. He had thought it through.

Opening his laptop, grimly satisfied with his plan, Frank began working on his case, trying to distract himself from his anguished thoughts.

* * *

"Mommy, where are you going?" Nick turned around, alarmed as Nancy walked with Lizzy out of the kitchen.

"Honey, I'm just going to change Lizzy's diaper," Nancy told him.

She couldn't stop thinking about Frank. What was going on?

"I want to come," Zoe said, slipping off her chair and running after Nancy.

_Well, I guess it won't do any harm…_ Nancy mused, contemplating making Zoe stay in the kitchen and finish her dinner. But she decided to use the time to give her second youngest a little more individual attention. Between the three children, Nancy sometimes worried that Zoe wasn't getting as much attention as her siblings.

It didn't hurt that it would also take her mind off the break in and Frank.

"Alright. How was preschool?" Nancy asked Zoe as she changed Lizzy's diaper. Lizzy was sleepily sucking her thumb. "Did you do a craft?"

"Yeah! We…" Zoe hesitated, squinting her blue eyes in a effort to concentrate. "Oh yeah! We did a coloring sheet and we got to put stickers on it."

"That sounds fun! Did you practice your letters?" Nancy smiled at her daughter.

"Yes. A,B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z for Zoe!" Zoe recited, dancing around, her strawberry blond hair bouncing around her face.

"Wow! Good job sweetie!" Nancy gave her oldest daughter a hug and kissed her forehead. Zoe hugged her back tightly.

"Mmwah!'' Zoe had Nancy lean down, and then kissed Nancy's cheek sloppily.

"I love you, Zoe," Nancy smiled. Zoe's small face took on a mischievous expression.

"I love you too, Mommy." Suddenly Zoe began tickling Nancy's feet, making them both laugh loudly. Nancy wrapped her arms around Zoe and began tickling the four year old on the back of her neck.

"Tickle war!" Nick, who had come to see what the noise was, threw himself into the fray, and soon they were all tickling each other and laughing.

Finally the tickling abated, and Nancy looked up to see Fenton and Laura looking at them with amused expressions. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Nancy actually felt totally fine.

She would never be ashamed of being silly with her small children.

"Tickle Grandma and Grandpa!" Zoe squealed.

Nancy grinned as she watched Nick and Zoe run after Fenton.

"Nancy, call off these savages!" Fenton called from the living room.

Nancy just laughed, picking up Lizzy. She walked into the living room and saw that Nick was sitting on Fenton while Zoe tickled his feet.

"AAHHHAHAHAHAHA!" Fenton's booming laughter filled the entire house.

Nancy found herself pleasantly distracted from Frank.

But when she finally got through to him, he would be in for an earful.

* * *

_**Please review!**_


	5. Investigation

_**This chapter is super long. So short author's note today! Thanks for the amazing reviews! Eat some candy to reward yourselves.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Frank, what the heck?!" Joe glanced at the caller ID and held his cell phone to his ear, slipping out of the room. He made his way to his bedroom, still faintly hearing his dad and Nancy's children, and probably Ivan as well, laughing in the living room. "Frank, what on earth is going on?! You freak out about the break in at Nancy's house, and then you hang up on her and disappear!" Joe knew part of his anger was stemming from concern, but he couldn't stifle the rage that was underlying his words.

"Is she okay?"

"Come see yourself, god, Frank, what's going on?" Joe was becoming more concerned. This wasn't like Frank at all. "She's pissed at you blowing her off, but yeah, Nancy's fine."

"Joe, I'm going to break it off with her."

Joe nearly dropped the phone.

"What?!" He took a deep breath, attempting to keep his voice reasonably low. "Frank, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Joe, I…" Frank trailed off, and Joe had never heard his brother sounding so vulnerable. Then Frank's voice became suddenly brisk and informal. "I just wanted to let you all know that I'm alright, and I wanted to… to just check if Nancy was okay."

"Frank, I'm not buying that crap. Why are you going to break up with Nancy?" Joe asked.

It was silent for a moment.

"Frank, are you at your apartment? I'm coming over," Joe told his brother.

"I'm working tonight. I have to solve this case. Somebody wants me off it and I need to figure out who and why."

"Too bad. I'm on my way," Joe pulled on his jacket. "And you better open the door for me, or trust me, I'll pick the lock."

He opened his bedroom door as Nick and Zoe streaked past. Nancy followed more slowly, carrying Lizzy, giving Joe a troubled smile.

"Story reading is good bribery for making children get ready for bed," she laughed. "Looks like we'll take the same rooms as before?"

"Yep, Vanessa got them all ready for you and Helen," Joe smiled, however he had never felt more serious before as he took in Nancy's tired expression. Her mouth was smiling, but her blue eyes were dull and confused.

"Make sure you get some rest," Joe gently touched Nancy's shoulder. She nodded and shifted Lizzy in her arms.

Running down the stairs, Joe ran into Vanessa carrying Ivan.

"Hey babe, I have to run out for a little while, okay? Don't worry about me," Joe told her, giving her a quick kiss, and rumpling Ivan's blond hair.

"What…" Vanessa turned to see him rush down the rest of the stairs.

"Tonight," Joe promised.

* * *

"Frank?" Joe knocked on the door. After second, the door opened.

Frank looked awful. His eyes were dark and haunted, and his face was pale and haggard. Joe was taken back for a moment. He slipped into the room, his concern rising.

"Frank, you look terrible. What's going on?" Joe turned to look at his older brother.

"Joe, Nancy could have been killed."

The one sentence threw everything back in place for Joe. He immediately realized that Frank was blaming himself for what had happened.

"Frank, is that why you want to break up with Nancy?"

Frank sighed and leaned against the table, shoulders hunched.

"I'm putting her in danger. Joe, I can't see her hurt because of me, or her kids. I'm not safe to be in a relationship. God, Joe, I don't want her to be kidnapped, or tortured, or…" Frank stopped. "There are goons out there dying to get me, dying to kill everybody I love. I'm can't put Nancy in that position. I just should have realized that earlier." Frank ran a hand through his hair with an anguished expression.

"You can't live life afraid of what will happen. You're assuming the worst. Sure, you might need to take some more precautions after this, but you don't have to isolate yourself. Frank, you didn't drag Nancy into a relationship. She chose _you_. Besides she's solved cases before. She knows there's danger, and she probably has criminals from her own past that wouldn't mind getting out of there. But she knows how to deal with it."

Frank just stared at Joe, his expression fixed.

"God, Frank, please don't go all stubborn on me now. _Listen_ to me. You might think you're doing what's best, but actually you don't need to sacrifice your relationship with Nancy. You two can work through it." Joe was almost pleading. He couldn't stand to see Frank so defeated.

"Joe, she could have died."

Frank turned back to his work, and Joe nearly kicked the wall in frustration. Frank could be as stubborn as anything when he wanted to be.

"Do you think she needs you dumping her? God, Frank, I would have thought _you_'d be a little more sensitive of all people! You have to at least explain it to her," Joe said finally. Maybe Nancy could talk some sense into him.

"I'm going to call her tomorrow." Frank glanced up for a moment. "Right now, I want this case over. We've had two deaths already, and I don't want the body count to rise."

Sensing that Frank was done talking about Nancy, Joe sat down at the table next to his brother. He didn't want to leave Frank, not like this.

"Got any leads?" he asked, not actually very interested. _Frank, better think this through before Nancy comes and kicks your stubborn butt._

"There's clear homicide in the picture. Somebody replaced Pency Water's antidepressant pills with a high dose heroin pill. We found traces on the bottle, at least. We're still waiting for the autopsy results." Frank flipped over a page of notes.

"Sounds like an inside job," Joe remarked. "Is that how Theo Salder died?"

"Well, it was heroin. But it might have been an accidental or suicidal overdose." Frank stared at his computer screen, his brow creasing.

"Why would someone kill them? Whoever it is, they mean business."

Frank's eyes flickered.

"Make sure Nancy and the kids stay at your house until this is over. Obviously someone doesn't want me solving this case." Frank stared steadily at his laptop.

"It wasn't your fault."

"It wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me. I know it's not my fault, but how can I live with myself when I know that I'm putting her in danger?" Frank squeezed his eyes shut.

Joe watched helplessly, knowing this was only something that Nancy would be able to talk Frank out of.

If she wasn't too angry at him…

* * *

Laura watched Nancy sit down at the table, propping up her head on her palms, elbows on the table.

"Hey Nancy, how are you holding up?" Laura asked gently, sitting down beside the upset young lady, touching her arm lightly.

"I think I got the kids to go to sleep," Nancy sighed. "I probably only have about five minutes before one of them wakes up and discovers that I'm gone."

"What did Sylvia say about the nightmares?" Laura asked sympathetically. Sylvia was the family counselor that Nancy and the three children, especially Nick, would go visit. The children mostly went through play-therapy, helping them move on from the abusive situation they had been in. Nancy's sessions were more talking.

"She says it's natural due to the things they've gone through, especially the dreams that Nick has about me dying. But they should fade away as time goes by, and she's going to work with Nick on it. She thinks the renewed separation anxiety is a little unusual, especially for Nick since he's older, but that the kids should get used to me working. I'm trying to spend as much time with them as I can. But things have been better. I mean, they seem to like school. I think it's been great for Zoe and Lizzy to be in more contact with other children…" She was just talking now, saying words to fill the silence.

"Nancy, what happened with Frank?" Laura asked, her brown eyes concerned. Nancy sighed, looking at the older woman.

Frank might have gotten his observational skills from his mother, rather than his father as everybody thought. Laura sure knew how to pick up on what was going on.

"I don't know. He just didn't show up! I tried calling, he hasn't picked up!" Nancy huffed in frustration. "I don't know why. Nick has been asking why Frank isn't here and I don't know what to say."

"Knowing Frank, he's probably blaming himself for what happened this afternoon."

A slight shiver went up Nancy's back as she remembered the man bursting into the apartment. How could Frank blame himself for that?

_It was his case._ Suddenly it made sense to Nancy. Somebody was trying to scare Frank off the case by threatening her. And now he was blaming himself.

"You think he's backing off because it freaked him out that I almost got hurt because of his case?" Nancy asked slowly, looking at Laura, who gave a half smile and nodded.

"I know my boy. I've never seen him so happy as when he's around you. He's in love, Nancy, and your kids. But if he thinks he's putting you in danger…" Laura sighed.

"I knew Frank's occupation when I decided to date him," Nancy crossed her arms.

"Honey, I know," Laura ran a hand through her graying blond hair. "You're going to have to talk to him. It's between you two."

"He should at least talk to me," Nancy frowned, not able to hide her annoyance.

As Laura watched Nancy's blue eyes spark with anger and determination and thought about how stubborn Frank could be, she had a feeling that Nancy and Frank were going to go through a wild ride trying to figure this out.

* * *

"Mom! Mom!"

Nancy woke up with a start. She opened her eyes to see Nick shaking her, tears streaming down his face.

"Mommy!" he sobbed. Without hesitation, Nancy wrapped Nick in a hug, and felt the small boy's frame shake with sobs. Gradually the tears subsided to hiccups, but Nick's arms remained tight around her waist.

"Sweetie, was it a bad dream?" Nancy asked him gently, brushing her son's hair back from his forehead.

"I… I dreamed that… that you were sleeping and I tried to wake you up, and you wouldn't wake up, and… and you were dead," Nick sniffed. "And then I woke up and I came to wake you up, but you didn't wake up right away so I got really scared," Nick hiccupped, burying his face in her arms.

"It's okay, honey. It was just a dream," Nancy reassured him.

It was going to be a long week.

Nancy, while Nick went to use the bathroom, fell back against her pillow, careful not to disturb Lizzy and Zoe who were sleeping next to her. She groped for her cell phone on the bed stand.

Not even a text from Frank.

Nancy felt a surge of anger. _Okay Frank. So much for being a charming boyfriend._ Seriously? She resisted the urge to throw the cell phone at the wall.

Under her anger, she felt hurt. Had Frank really not considered her opinion on the matter? She understood that he was upset for putting her in danger, but he wasn't handling his fear the right way. She should have known that he would expect the worse.

Nancy glanced at Zoe and Lizzy sleeping peacefully and felt some doubt.

Was it fair to drag her kids into a relationship which could potentially put them in danger?

Unsure and worried, Nancy got up and moved quietly out of the room. Nick came scampering out of the bathroom.

"Nick, I'm going to go downstairs. Why don't you try to sleep a little bit more?" Nancy suggested.

"No, I want to go with you," Nick pleaded, blinking his blue eyes as tears rose.

"Honey, I'm just going to be downstairs. I want you to stay here, okay? It'll be good for you to get a little more sleep," Nancy kissed his forehead and gently guided him back to the bed. Reluctantly Nick crawled back in, under the covers. "I'll just be downstairs if you need me. You can just call for me and I'll be here," Nancy promised.

"No, Mommy!" Nick moved to get out of the bed as Nancy began to leave the room. Nancy took a deep breath, remembering her conversation with their counselor.

Nick was most definitely going through separation anxiety. She had to be gentle but firm, and refusing her little boy was hard, but she knew it was best for him.

"Honey, I'll just be downstairs. I promise. You need to go to sleep," Nancy told him softly, arranging the covers around him. Nick looked up at her with big blue eyes, pooling with tears.

"What if you don't come back?" he whispered.

"Nick, I'm just going downstairs. You will be fine. I promise. Get some sleep, okay? Then you'll be less tired in the day and that will make you feel better. You will be fine." Nancy kissed his forehead and quietly slipped out of the room, not giving Nick a chance to protest.

Fenton was sitting at the kitchen table, a steaming mug of coffee next to him, and the New York Times laid out on the table in front of him. He glanced up at Nancy as she walked into the room and smiled, taking off his reading glasses.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

An old ache in Nancy's chest sprang up. Sometimes Fenton reminded Nancy amazingly of her own father.

She missed her dad.

"Morning," Nancy yawned, sitting down beside Fenton.

"You're up early," he commented.

"Nick had a nightmare." Nancy leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Nancy?" Fenton looked at her questioning.

"Is it unfair to bring my kids into possible danger by dating Frank? Did you hesitate to have kids because of your job as a detective?" Nancy finally asked, rubbing her neck absentmindedly.

"Ah," Fenton took a deep breath and set down his newspaper.

Nancy watched him as he ran a hand through his dark hair with grey streaks. She respected his advice more than anybody else's at the moment.

"Yes, I did hesitate. But in the end, Laura and I decided that there are always risks in life. We can't live our lives fearing what could happen. The chances of a criminal coming after you and killing your family are probably about the same or less than the chances of you dying in a car accident. But you still drive don't you?" Fenton asked. Nancy felt a rush of relief.

"That's what I thought," she said with satisfaction. "That's exactly what I was thinking. I just wanted to make sure."

"And there are precautions you can take, Nancy. Have your kids take some self defense classes as they get older, make sure your house has good alarms and locks, like Joe and Vanessa."

"Nick knows how to get out of being tied up," Nancy grinned proudly. Fenton stared at her in surprise. "I taught him the hold-your-wrists-slightly-apart trick. I…" Nancy hesitated. "I wanted to make sure that if Tom ever…" she paused again. "Just in case," she finished, glancing down.

Fenton felt a rush of anger. He knew it had been like living hell for Nancy to try to keep her children safe from that abusive bastard. Every time he thought of Tom, Fenton wanted to beat the man up. He was more than a little happy when he learned that Frank had left some scars on that man, even though Fenton didn't exactly approve of violence. But he could be convinced under some circumstances.

"He didn't ever…"

"No, Fenton, it was just a safety precaution," Nancy told him quickly. "Nick likes learning about knots and things anyways. I have him tie my hands together and we see how quickly I can get out of them. It's more of a game." Nancy shrugged. "He's pretty good at secure knots now."

"I can tell you used to be a detective," Fenton chuckled and shook his head. "Nobody else would teach their children that."

"You better believe it," Nancy grinned. Then her smile faded. "I need to talk to Frank."

"Nancy, you should know that he was really upset when he heard about what happened. He hung up on me, he was so worried. It may seem otherwise, but this sort of reveals how much he cares for you."

It was true and Nancy knew it.

"I know. I'm actually okay with that, I guess it's sweet in a way. It's the fact that he seems to have made this decision for _both_ of us that I'm not okay with." Nancy frowned and her eyes flashed with anger. "And the last thing my kids need is to see another man fall through on being there for them. Even if that isn't what Frank intends, they're going to see it that way."

"You need to talk to him," Fenton said seriously.

"Do you think you and Laura could watch the kids this morning? You're right, and the sooner the better," Nancy said suddenly.

"Sure. We'd be happy to," Fenton smiled. "Will they be okay with it though? I mean, Nick…"

"He'll be okay. I'll try not to be too long," Nancy decided after a moment of thought. "If you're okay with it, of course."

"Oh, we're fine with it," Fenton reassured her.

"Great!" Nancy smiled, and gave Fenton a quick hug. "I'm going to see if I can catch a bit more sleep. Getting up at six in the morning on a Saturday might be okay for an old man like you, but I need my rest," Nancy teased, standing up with a smile. Fenton chuckled and shook his head.

His oldest son was in for a rude awakening.

**_I know you all wanted the conversation between Frank and Nancy. Next chapter, I promise!_**

**_Please Review!_**


	6. Time to Talk

_**Oh my gosh I am so sorry! I did leave out the last word in the last chapter! (it's in there now) I'm very sorry, that was just sloppy and unprofessional of me. I should have proof read more carefully before publishing. Sorry :(**_

_** Thanks for the amazing reviews! I know I say this every time, but they are always so encouraging :) Anyways, this is the longest chapter you'll probably ever get from me. I promised the Frank/Nancy conversation would be in it, so I'm keeping that promise, but I also had some stuff before, which is why it is so long. The next chapter will definitely be shorter.**_

_**I hope you like this chapter! Please tell me what you think! I'm hoping it's not too dramatic...**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

Vanessa blinked her eyes sleepily, pulling the sheets closer over herself. Weak light was filtering through the curtains in the bedroom. She turned over saw Joe conked out beside her, blond hair sticking up all over the place. Vanessa smiled and quietly slipped out of the bed, not wanting to disturb Joe. He must have been out late, because she hadn't even been awake when he came back.

Getting up, Vanessa suddenly felt slightly queasy.

She moved into bathroom, leaning against the sink for a moment as the nausea swept over her a wave. Fighting the urge to vomit, she leaned heavily against the wall.

_Was she sick?_

Vanessa looked in the mirror. Was her stomach a little bit larger? She pressed her hands against her stomach. Maybe she was imagining it.

"Babe? Are you okay?" Joe was sitting up in bed, and Vanessa fought another wave of nausea. Thankfully, it passed after a moment, but Joe was already beside her.

"I feel nauseous," Vanessa groaned. Joe's bright blue eyes were worried.

"Are you sick?" Joe wrapped an arm around her waist and peered at her concernedly.

"I missed my period last month… But I didn't think much of it since that's happened to me before…"

Joe's eyes widened.

"Vanessa, do you think…" he whispered. Vanessa nodded eagerly, her grey eyes shining. Joe put a hand on Vanessa's stomach, making chills run up her back. She leaned forward and kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her, massaging her shoulders.

"Let me take the test. I think I have one around here."

Vanessa gently guided Joe out of the bathroom, closing the door after him.

Joe stared at the door. He wasn't going to lie. He wanted another kid. He wanted his little boy to have a sibling, and he wanted to have another son or daughter.

Maybe a daughter, Joe thought to himself. But he would be equally happy with either a son or a daughter.

The door opened, and Vanessa came out beaming.

"It was positive."

"Oh my god!" Joe breathed. "We're going to have another baby!" he beamed, twirling Vanessa around.

"We should check for sure before we get too excited," Vanessa finally broke away from his embrace. She didn't want to have a false alarm like last time. "Let's not tell your parents or Frank and Nancy. Not yet," she said seriously. "Let's get a doctor to confirm it."

"Can you go in today?" Joe asked eagerly. "I'll take you."

Vanessa laughed at how eager he was. "What about Nancy and the kids? And we both have to go to work."

"It's Saturday, so I get off at two. How about I pick you up from your shift at the hospital at 2:30, and then we go?" Joe suggested.

"What about Frank and Nancy? Did you see Frank last night?"

Joe's expression darkened. "Yeah, I saw him, the stubborn fool. He's going to throw away his relationship with Nancy because he thinks he's putting her in danger."

"Nancy isn't going to like that," Vanessa mused worriedly. "But he sort of has a point- I mean, that's why someone broke into her house, right?"

"Yeah. But it doesn't mean he has to isolate himself from her. They just need to be more careful," Joe sighed.

"Well, if Frank's going to try to keep Nancy out of the case, that'll only make her want to get into even more."

Joe knew Vanessa was right.

But Frank and Nancy were grown up. They could figure things out.

"I'm going to call the center and see if we can get an appointment this afternoon," Joe decided. "I don't know if I'll last waiting that long."

* * *

Frank woke up slowly, becoming gradually aware of the keyboard beneath his face. Groaning he sat up. He must have fallen asleep while working. Frank blinked a couple times and stared at his laptop screen.

He had a good twenty pages of random letters from falling asleep on top of his keyboard. He deleted them, glancing at the time.

8:38. So he had probably gotten about four hours of sleep. Frank ran his hand through his hair and glanced over the notes he had been working up until he had fallen asleep.

He had made some progress but was still lacking a lot of information. His best bet was probably the fact that Theo Salder was a heroin addict. That placed him in an at risk position. Then there was the anonymous tip that Salder had been murdered. _If only it hadn't been anonymous…_ Then came Percy Water's death, also an overdose of heroin. Somebody had access to these men's homes in order to slip pills into their bathrooms.

Or the deaths were being orchestrated by a professional.

Frank's cell phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket. Glancing at the number, he didn't recognize it.

"Hello?" he asked curiously.

"H-hello?" It was a woman's voice, shaky and nervous.

"Who is this?"

"I'm Rhea Tapa… I am…was… Pency's fiancée." There was a barely audible sniff. "You gave me your number. This is Detective Hardy, right?"

"Yes, it is. Hello Rhea. I'm so sorry about Pency." Frank pulled out a piece of paper and poised his pencil over it. "So what prompted you to call me?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you, since I was told you're in charge of the case of his death. I wanted to tell you, I don't think Pency committed suicide. Everyone thinks he did, especially after the death of his best friend, and he had depression, but…"

"Hold on, the death of his best friend?" Frank's eyebrows shot up. _It couldn't be…_

"Theo Salder, I'm sure you've heard about his death, was Pency's best friend…"

Frank's eyes widened.

"We knew about his drug addiction, but he was doing so much better. Greta was helping him, and we all thought he was going to leave it behind, and then the overdose…" Rhea stifled a sob. "But I don't think Pency committed suicide because of that. Like I said, he had depression, but that doesn't mean he was suicidal. Because he wasn't. He was going to counselor and doing a lot better. We had plans for the future… I know he wouldn't have committed suicide. We… we wanted to have kids." Rhea's voice was broken.

"I believe you, Rhea. But why would someone want to kill him?"

"Two nights after Theo's death, he was acting really strange, nervous and agitated. He came home from work late."

"What did he think about Theo's death?"

"He was really upset. He said someone was going to pay, but then when I asked about that he wouldn't say anything."

Frank was quickly formulating a theory in his head.

"Do you know where Theo was obtaining the illegal drugs from?" Frank asked.

"No. You should ask Greta though."

"Do you think Pency knew where Theo was getting the drugs?"

There was a pause.

"He probably did. They've been friends forever, before I even started dating him. Do… do you think the drug dealers have something do with this?"

"I'm not sure."

"If you find them, don't let them get away with what they've done." Rhea's voice was fierce.

"Rhea, keep your eyes open. Thanks for the information, let me know if you remember anything else. Be careful," Frank told her, writing some final notes down.

"I will. Thanks Detective." Rhea hung up, and Frank looked through his notes.

The clues were starting to point towards a drug dealer or even a ring. Those were dangerous.

He needed to figure out motives and suspects, but at least he had a place to start.

However, Frank felt a step behind. Clearly somebody already knew he was on the case. And they weren't happy about it. Nancy flickered back into his mind, but he pushed away the thought.

Sighing, he spread out his notes. Rhea had said that Pency was nervous two days after Theo's death.

That would be the same day that the anonymous tip had been called in, warning the police that Theo's death had been a murder.

Bingo.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Frank's warning bells went off, and he carefully slipped his gun into his belt. Cautiously he moved towards the door.

* * *

Nancy stared at the smooth, sturdy, wooden door, wondering what the conversation ahead of her was going to look like.

Not pretty, she decided, crossing her arms.

The door suddenly opened, and a very tense Frank stood poised, one hand in his pocket, looking ready to spring back.

"Do you prepare to shoot all your visitors?" Nancy asked dryly, recognizing the form of a gun in his pocket. Frank's shoulders slumped.

Even through her anger, Nancy felt a hint of concern. Frank looked as if he had barely slept; his hair was messy and there were dark circles beneath his tired eyes.

"Nancy, you shouldn't have come."

"So that's the first thing you have to say to me after all this," Nancy said evenly, a strong undercurrent of anger beneath her words. Her blue eyes flashed fiercely.

"I didn't mean it like that..." Frank groaned. He was already making a mess of this. "We need to talk," he amended. Nancy brushed past him, standing in his living room, not sitting down.

"Then talk," she ordered, jaw clenched.

Crap. He had made her mad. Frank wasn't exactly sure what he had done to make her so angry. He took a deep breath. She would understand when he explained.

_Why was she so beautiful when she was angry?_ He wondered to himself, mind wandering. _Bad time for those thoughts, Hardy!_

"Nancy…" Frank gulped. "Okay. After the break in at your house, I… I realized that I'm putting you in danger. You and your whole family. You could have been killed, and we both know the shooter was probably related to my case. I can't do that to you. It's not fair to you, or your kids. I have people from my past who are out there to kill everybody I love. I can't escape from who I am, no matter where I go, even if I change my job, there will be someone out to get me. I can't drag you into that, so… so we need to end this relationship. It's what's best for you and your family," Frank finished. He risked a glance at Nancy's face, and was surprised to find that it was just as furious, if not more, as before.

"So you made this decision for both of us?" Nancy's voice was dangerous.

"Nancy…"

"Do I even get a say in this?" Nancy's hands curled into fists. "Really, Frank?" she was nearly shouting. "Did it even occur for you to talk to me about all this first?!" She took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. _Calm down. You're not going to get anywhere if you're so angry. _"Frank, I love you."

He felt a thrill at those words. _No, no, no, it's all wrong…_

"I want to be with you, and I knew the risks when we started our relationship. I knew your occupation when you asked me to date. I understand and have already thought about everything you just told me."

"But…" Frank looked at her confusedly. "Your kids…"

"Frank." Nancy took a step forward and touched his arm. "There will always be risks in life. I could walk out this door, go pick up my kids to go somewhere, and we could all die in a car crash."

"No, don't say that!" Frank said fiercely. Nancy shook her head and looked at him with crystal blue eyes.

"It's true. One of us could get sick, our house could catch on fire, there could be a school shooting. Life is full of danger and risks. But that doesn't mean we stop living it. We're careful and cautious, but we don't go hide in a basement for the rest of our lives. I will do everything possible to protect my children, trust me. But I'm not going to lock them up in a closet so that they'll be safe. Did it ever occur to you that your presence is good for them? You're the first man they've trusted! The last thing they need is another man falling through on caring for them. They won't understand that you think you're doing it to protect them. They'll think you don't want to see them anymore!"

"But what if…" A thousand images flooded through Frank's head and he closed his eyes for a moment.

"What about your parents, Frank? He was a detective in the same position as you, and he decided to go ahead and have a family. Do you regret that? I doubt it!" Nancy's eyes were burning with intensity. "And Frank, we both know that I've put criminals in jail, just like you. There are probably people out there to kill me too. I'm capable of taking care of myself." she said firmly.

Despite her seemingly delicate, slender form, Frank knew she was right.

"There are some things that nobody can protect themselves from," he pointed out.

"Frank, that's what I've been trying to say," Nancy threw up her hands in exasperation.

"So you still want to date even though I'm putting you and your family in danger?" Frank looked at her, raking a hand through his dark hair.

"Yes. Goodness knows why it took so long for you to figure that out," Nancy huffed. "And I'm super pissed that you were going to make this choice without me."

"I…" Frank opened his mouth. Suddenly he spotted a cut, straight as a ruler, on Nancy's arm. Shakily he reached out and touched right above the cut. He had seen enough bullet wounds to know this was from a bullet graze.

Nancy saw the fear and guilt in Frank's eyes, and she caught his hand and moved it away from her arm. He recoiled, and abruptly turned around.

"Frank, _listen_ to me. You cannot carry responsibility for the actions of the world on your shoulders. You will be crushed."

"Nancy, I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you..." Frank looked at her, his brown eyes shining with emotion.

"If you love me so much, then show me by taking a chance. Show me by playing with my kids. Show me by taking me out to dinner and helping me study. You can't isolate yourself. Let me help you with your case. We can work through this together. You _know_ we're a good team."

"But…" Frank looked at her. He wasn't sure why she was willing to do this. How on earth did he end up with such a strong, beautiful woman? He didn't deserve to be let into her family. He swallowed hard.

"Nancy… I'm not sure if I deserve to be let into your family. Especially if I'm going to put you at risk for attacks and kidnappings."

Nancy's expression changed to one of disbelief and surprise.

"Frank, you are kind and sensitive. You love my children and you would put down everything to come help us. I don't really feel like going through all your virtues right now because I'm still kind of angry at you, but this isn't even about whether or not you deserve it. This is a relationship. We're both messed up. What the heck are you talking about?" Nancy sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

It was quiet for a moment.

"What about Ned? Didn't you change your career and run away because you couldn't be a detective anymore after his death?"

"I ran away because I was young and immature and I felt that it was my fault, not that I was endangering people. I couldn't take the guilt I felt, so I ran. As for my career, being basically the only parent for my children, I wanted to make sure I was there for them, and with Tom, I didn't want to leave them alone with him. Being a detective wouldn't have fit my situation."

Frank gazed at Nancy thoughtfully.

"Do you want me to get a different job?" he asked slowly. Nancy internally sighed with relief. She had won the battle. And with Frank Hardy, that was a feat.

"No, I don't want you to get a different job. Not if you're happy with your job. But we definitely need to be more careful, especially with the children. I'm going to stay and Joe and Vanessa's house for awhile until we can figure out what to do."

"Nancy…"

She stepped forward and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. For a moment Frank seemed unsure, then he put his hands on her waist and deepened the kiss.

"We will work through this," Nancy told him as she drew back, slightly out of breath. "With both of us there for the children, they will be safe. Two protectors is better than one"

"Alright," Frank said slowly. He could feel horrible fears stirring in his chest, but Nancy was right. He couldn't let those control him. He took a deep breath, and the smell of Nancy's strawberry shampoo was strangely soothing, as was her form, solid and real in his arms.

He didn't have to lose her. Instead Frank pulled Nancy closer.

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook," Nancy told him as they broke apart again. "I can't believe you were going to make that decision in our relationship without discussing it with me," she said, crossing her arms.

Crap. Frank could tell she wasn't as furious as she had been, but there was definitely some real irritation in her gaze.

"I'm sorry Nancy. I guess I just go so scared and…" Frank shook his head. "You're right. I should have talked to you, and I'm sorry. I totally overreacted and my response was not really appropriate." He risked a glance at Nancy, and was surprised to find her eyes shining.

"This is why I love you," Nancy smiled. "So few men would be able to just take all the blame like that and apologize out right."

"So are we okay?" Frank asked hopefully.

"I guess I'll get over it after awhile. Although it kind of annoys me that I can't stay mad at you longer," Nancy informed him, blue eyes glinting mischievously.

He would definitely get her some flowers. Or maybe jewelry.

For heaven's sake, this was Nancy Drew they were talking about. Maybe he would get her a professional lock pick set. And he wanted to go as quickly as possible to Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy and play with them. He hadn't even realized that he might be hurting them, and he was pretty angry at himself for that.

"Frank, can you do something for me?" Nancy asked.

"Of course. What do you want me to do?" Frank caught her hand, and looked at her concernedly.

"Please get some sleep. How late were you up last night?" Nancy raised an eyebrow.

"Um…" Frank knew it was useless to lie. Nancy would see right through it. "About 4:30, I think."

"Go to bed," Nancy ordered, letting go of his hand. He felt an irrational feeling of loss as her hand slipped out of his. However he felt a little touched that Nancy was so worried.

"My case…" Frank began to protest.

"I can look over what you have and maybe give you a new perspective. You'll work better anyways if you're not so tired." Nancy was already sitting down where all his notes were spread out, and Frank knew he was going to lose the argument.

"Alright," he gave in.

"Goodnight," Nancy smiled at him.

"Don't I get a bedtime kiss?" Frank pouted playfully. Nancy smiled and twisted her head, brushing her lips against his.

"There. Now go to bed."

_**You know you want to review.**_


	7. New Developments

_**Next chapter! Yay for Frank and Nancy! Here's some Helen action! (I've developed quite an interesting story for her)**_

_**Thanks so much for the reviews! And to all that are reading, of course :) See you all at the next chapter! Please keep the reviews up!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or Frank Hardy**_

Helen woke up with a start. Quickly she glanced at her alarm clock.

It was very, very late. She felt a surge of panic, thinking she would be late to work, and then remembered that it was Saturday, her day off. With a sigh of relief, she fell back against her pillow.

The previous day's events began flooding back to her, the shooter, going to Nancy's friend's house. It felt so unreal.

Helen had immediately felt at home. Joe and Vanessa were so kind to her! So were Fenton and Laura. Helen couldn't help but envy the fact that Nancy got to be part of the family.

_Nancy definitely deserves it though_, Helen thought as she got up. It felt as if her world had been turned upside down since that day Nancy and Frank had shown up on the doorstep of the house she was staying at. Living with Nancy and her children made Helen feel safe for the first time.

However, she didn't have a divorce yet. She had zero communication with her husband Charly since Nancy had driven her away from his house. Initially, Helen had thought that she would miss Charly. Maybe she did, a tiny bit, but Helen knew that going with Nancy had been one of the best choices she had ever made. It was such a relief to not live in constant fear.

But now Helen wasn't feeling as safe. What if the shooter was somehow connected to Charly?

The thought made her shiver. She wasn't as brave as Nancy, who seemed almost unaffected by the attack. No, Helen had been afraid for her life. She had felt the cruel unfairness of the situation; so soon after she began enjoying life, it was going to be taken away from her.

But waking up in a large warm bed in a beautiful room, Helen felt some of her fears melt away. She got out of bed, and quickly changed.

Stepping out of the bedroom, Helen made her way to the staircase and quickly descended, determined to find her way to the kitchen without getting lost.

Someday she wanted to have a beautiful house like Joe and Vanessa's.

The sound of crying quickly caught Helen's attention. She had lived with the Drew children long enough to know that it was Zoe who was crying. Stepping into the living room, she saw a flustered looking Laura attempting to calm down a hysterically sobbing Zoe. Nick was hugging Lizzy, also looking quite upset and unsure of what to do.

"Hey, what's going on?" Helen asked Fenton, trying to keep the suspicion out of her voice. She knew that Nancy explicitly trusted Fenton and Laura, but couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"Separation issues. Nancy went to talk to Frank," Fenton explained, a helpless look on his face. Helen nodded understandingly.

"I…. want… Mommy!" Zoe howled, tears streaming down her face, moving away from Laura.

Helen reached out to take the small girl, hoping that she could offer some help. After all, Nancy's children knew her very well. But depending on their mood, sometimes nothing would offer a temporary substitute for their mother.

"Hey sweetie, what's the matter?" Helen picked up the four-year-old, rocking her slightly. Zoe's sobs quieted slightly.

"I want my mommy," she hiccupped, her crying rising again.

"I know, honey. She'll be back in a little while. Did you know that I don't have work today? So maybe I can play with you," Helen told her. Zoe wiped her eyes with a small hand, her crying pausing.

"You don't have to go to work?" Zoe asked with a sniff.

After moving in with Nancy and her children, Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy had been very disappointed when they found out that Helen would be gone a lot because of her job as a waitress.

"Nope. Today I get a day off," Helen told her.

"What…what about Mommy?" Zoe was cautiously halting her crying.

"She'll be back in a little while. How about we do some coloring?" Helen suggested. "And your Grandma and Grandpa can join us, and so can Ivan, Lizzy, and Nick. It will be like a coloring party!" Helen said excitedly.

"I want my mommy," Zoe said stubbornly, but she stopped crying, instead looking at Zoe with large tearful blue eyes.

"I know. How about you draw your mom a picture?"

"You're not going to work?" Zoe checked suspiciously.

"Nope, not today. Do you like crayons or markers or colored pencils?" Helen asked, glancing at Laura. The older lady smiled, looking relieved.

"Um…. Crayons," Zoe decided.

_Crisis averted_, Helen thought to herself with a smile.

Soon the kitchen table was covered with crayons, markers, and colored pencils, and sheets of paper were flying all over the place. Nick and Zoe were laughing over something Fenton was drawing, while Lizzy was deeply involved in her drawing- mostly a mass of blue scribbles.

A touch on her shoulder caused Helen to jump. She turned to find Laura Hardy beside her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Laura apologized.

"Oh no, it's fine," Helen smiled.

"I just wanted to thank you for calming Zoe down. Fenton and I were starting to get worried," Laura told Helen gratefully. "You were so helpful."

"Oh, you're welcome. I guess I picked up a few tricks from Nancy," Helen said shyly, feeling a rush of pleasure at the woman's praise.

"I'm so happy that we're all going to be staying together for a little while," Laura touched Helen's hand lightly. "I'm glad you're here with us. Nancy has told us how great a friend you have been to her."

"Oh," Helen glanced at the ground, feeling shy again. "Well, that's Nancy for you. I didn't really help her much; I mean I wish I could have done more for her. She's really been a blessing to me, actually," Helen admitted.

"A friend in a hard time is one of the greatest gifts there is," Laura agreed. "That goes for what Nancy has done for you _and_ what you have done for Nancy."

Helen smiled at the kind lady, feeling very happy and loved. She felt a sudden wistfulness. The last time she had seen her parents, her mother had been sobbing as her father threw her out for becoming pregnant with Charly.

She had had a miscarriage, rousing Charly's fury. It wouldn't be her last either. When she had attempted to go back home, her father wouldn't even look at her, and wouldn't allow her to see her mother either.

She had returned to Charly. At least he was loving and kind between his bursts of anger.

"I'm glad I'll be staying here for awhile too," Helen looked up at Laura, her brown eyes shining with happiness.

* * *

_It has to be a drug dealer,_ Nancy decided, looking over Frank's notes. It was the only thing that tied the two deaths together. It made sense. Theo had been involved with drugs, and Pency, being his best friend, probably knew about it as well. Then for some reason they had decided to kill Theo, and Pency sent in the anonymous tip that Theo had been murdered. Then the dealer had gotten wind of that decision, and doubled back to kill Pency.

At least, that's what Nancy was thinking. She knew better than to come to any definite conclusions. It had been a long time since she had worked on a mystery, but the rules of the game were permanently set in her head.

_First rule: Everything is subject to questioning. Anybody can be a suspect._

Nancy knew they needed to talk to Greta Patterson in order to get some more information on who Theo might have been obtaining drugs from. And why they might have wanted to kill him.

Then again, the deaths were both inside jobs. Perhaps Theo's seemingly innocent girlfriend actually had a hand in what was happening. After all, the notes stated that she had known about Theo's drug addiction.

And then there was the break in at the apartment. Somebody already knew Frank was on the case.

Checking her cell phone, Nancy realized that she should probably go back home. Worriedly she hoped that Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy were doing alright, reluctantly leaving Frank's notes.

Nancy tiptoed into Frank's bedroom. He was fast asleep, tired face smoothed into a peaceful expression. Quickly she wrote him a note and left it on his bedside table. She would call him in a couple hours.

As Nancy walked up to the house, she mentally prepared herself for her children becoming attached to her.

Opening the door, Nancy heard laughing. A small smile spread on her face. She walked into the kitchen and saw that Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy were all drawing and laughing with Fenton, Laura, and Helen.

"Mommy!" Nick jumped up to give her a hug, but then returned to his drawing.

"I made you a drawing!" Zoe waved a piece of paper in the air.

No tears, no hysterical pleading, no crushing grips. Nancy beamed at Helen.

"Is this for real?" she whispered.

"They're having a great day," Helen agreed with a smile. "How was Frank?" she asked cautiously.

"Fine," Nancy's eyes twinkled. "We talked." Nancy grinned. Helen shook her head with a smile.

"You didn't go too hard on him, did you?" she asked helplessly.

"Mmm," Nancy didn't say anything.

"Did you figure out why that person broke into the apartment?" Helen asked hesitantly.

"We're thinking it's a drug dealer," Nancy said softly. To her surprise, Helen's eyes widened.

"Dope?" Helen asked faintly.

"Well, there's definitely heroin involved, yes." Nancy took Helen's hand. "Helen, why?"

"Oh my god. Charly…"

_**Please Review!**_


	8. Onto the Case

_**Okay. Get your act together, Fanfiction. Yes, this is technically chapter 8. I'm just trying to get my chapter to update! I will delete the duplicate once Fanfiction starts working. Hopefully this will work...  
**_

_**I'm sorry this chapter is late! I just was dry of motivation yesterday to update. But here it is! **_

_**Quick plea: If you're reading, please leave a short review of anything. My enthusiasm for this story is strangely low. I think it's because of the busy-ness in the rest of my life. I WILL NOT leave this story hanging. I will finish it no matter what. Because it sucks when people do that. But if you could just let me know if you're reading, that would be really really encouraging!  
**_

_**Anyways, get ready for one of my favorite scenes! (scene three of this chapter) Tried to be accurate of a multi-children household. **_

_**Please please please review! And thanks for all the support thus far!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

Joe wrapped his arm around Vanessa as they walked out of the obstetrician's office.

"Are you happy?" Vanessa leaned against Joe with a smile. He kissed her ear.

"Yes. I'm so excited I can hardly wait!"

"You're going to have to wait for a lot longer, Joe. I'm only about seven weeks in," Vanessa smiled, shaking her head.

"Do you think it'll be a girl or a boy?" Joe asked excitedly, opening the door for her.

"I have no idea," Vanessa laughed at his enthusiasm. Suddenly a shadow fell across her face as Joe crossed over to the driver's side. "Joe?" she asked as he started the engine.

"Yeah?" Joe glanced at her. Vanessa tried to pinpoint her unease.

"What if… what if the baby had something wrong with the baby?" she asked uncertainly. Joe looked at her concernedly.

"Did the doctor say…"

"No, she didn't say anything. It's too early to really tell. But I was just thinking, hypothetically, what if the baby had a severe disability?" Vanessa plucked at her sweater, her grey eyes shining worriedly. Joe took her hand.

"We'll cross that bridge if we get there," he said soothingly, but Vanessa caught the unease in his eyes.

"You would still want to keep it, right?" Vanessa asked uncertainly.

"Vanessa!" Joe gazed at her with astonishment. "Of course! No matter what happens, that baby is ours, and I am its father." Joe's blue eyes burned with a fierce determination.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to check," Vanessa confessed. "I guess I just needed to hear you say it aloud."

"Let's not worry about that yet," Joe said, rubbing Vanessa's hand. "Should we tell Ivan he's going to be a big brother? And the rest of the gang?"

"Let's wait a little while until all this drama dies down. The last thing I want is people to start worrying about me. Then it'll give us a little time to get used to the idea ourselves," Vanessa grinned.

"It's going to be hard for me to keep in. But I will for you," Joe promised.

Hopefully Frank and Nancy had figured out their issues. Then everything would be perfect.

Well, sort of.

* * *

Nancy took Helen's arm and escorted her out of the room.

"What about Charly?" Nancy asked urgently, her blue eyes wide.

"I thought he might have had to do with the break in, but you seemed so certain it was related to Frank's case that I didn't say anything…"

"Oh Helen, any worry you have, you should tell us. Nothing is certain in the world of investigating."

"Oh my gosh, Nancy. He might be part of all of this!" Helen gasped. "I never told you… but he's a drug addict," she whispered.

_Oh god, how had that fact slipped by her?_ Nancy bit her lip.

"He's involved with drug dealer. I never knew much about it, but…" Helen's breath caught in a sob. Nancy wrapped an arm around her.

"If you aren't ready to talk about it, it's okay," Nancy said soothingly, guiding her to the couch.

"N-no. I need to tell you. If it's the same drug dealers involved, then they're bad news," Helen took a deep breath.

"What happened?" Nancy asked softly.

"Charly didn't have the money to pay them back in time for one of his purchases…" Helen closed her eyes briefly. "They came to our house looking for the money. Charly wasn't home. They…" Helen's breath hitched. "Do you remember that one time I showed up at your apartment? The time it was really bad?"

"Oh my god, Helen," Nancy's grip on her hand tightened. "You told me that was Charly."

Helen began quietly crying.

"I didn't tell you the truth. I was afraid you wouldn't want your children around me if you knew my husband was a drug addict," Helen sobbed.

"Oh, Helen…" Nancy pulled her friend closer. "They hurt you because Charly couldn't pay them?"

Wordlessly Helen nodded.

She still had some scars from that day.

"They're going to pay, I swear," Nancy hissed, her blue eyes becoming steely.

"No! Nancy, you shouldn't get involved with them! The dealers aren't sophisticated criminals that will play games, they're tough thugs. They won't hesitate to torture or kill. These are hardened street criminals," Helen clutched Nancy's arm.

"Frank's a trained detective. We can handle it. Please, Helen, these guys might be responsible for the deaths of two young men. Can you at least tell me what you know?" Nancy pleaded. "We can't let them get away with this."

"Alright. But I don't know much. All I know is that Charly was involved with them and they're dangerous. They start with lower prices on drugs then raise them as people get more and more addicted. Sometimes they make people perform crimes for them in a form of payment." Helen's brown eyes were shining with tears.

"So, a sort of mafia group," Nancy mused. "But why…"

"Nancy, after I left, Charly might have gone to them to get help to get me back!" Helen cried fearfully. "Maybe that's what the shooter was!"

"Helen, you're not going back to him. I promise, we will not let them take you away," Nancy said firmly.

"But then, what about Frank's case? Why would they kill those two men?"

Nancy rubbed her temples confusedly.

Was it possible that Helen's husband was actually involved in all this? She had initially assumed the shooter was solely because of Frank's case. But listening to Helen, it seemed the case had just gotten more complex.

How were all these things connected? And even if Charly was part of a drug ring and after them because of Helen, why had they killed Theo Salder and Pency Waters?

"He's probably after me," Helen whispered. "Nancy, he's going to get me." Helen began shaking slightly, her face pale.

"Like hell he will!" Nancy burst out. For a second she was worried that she had upset Helen. But Helen seemed reassured by the fierce look in Nancy's eyes. "Listen, each person in this house would do everything they can to make sure you're safe. And we have some pretty well trained professionals here. You're not going anywhere you don't want to go," Nancy softened her voice.

"She's right."

Helen jumped at the voice then relaxed as she saw Laura Hardy walking into the room.

"I don't want to put all of you in danger," Helen wrung her hands helplessly.

"Don't even go there. Trust me, I have a whole lecture on that type of thinking already planned out. And it worked on Frank Hardy, only the stubbornest man in existence," Nancy huffed. Helen and Laura exchanged an amused look.

Suddenly Nancy's cell phone began ringing and she quickly checked the caller id.

"Speaking of Frank Hardy..." Nancy grinned ruefully and excused herself from the room.

* * *

Nancy opened the door to find Frank standing in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry."

In his arms, he was carrying a bouquet of sunflowers and a gift bag.

"Frank!" A smile spread across Nancy's face as he placed the flowers in her arms. "You didn't have to!" she said helplessly.

"But I wanted to," Frank murmured. She met his dark eyes and felt a jolt when she saw the intense emotion burning there. She reached out and took his hand, pulling him into a kiss, almost shocked by the mutual passion in the contact.

"Hey, it's Frank!" Nick cheered, causing Nancy and Frank to jerk apart. Nick was grinning at them innocently, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

"He did that on purpose," Frank murmured, wrapping an arm around Nancy's waist. "Reminds me of something you would pull."

"Be nice," Nancy laughed, swatting his shoulder playfully. She couldn't express how relieved she was that her relationship with Frank was back on track. The crazy emotional roller coaster of the last day was something she didn't regret leaving behind.

"How's it going, buddy?" Frank reached down to engulf Nick in a bear hug. Nick giggled and hugged him back.

"Hi Frank! Where were you?" Nick looked innocently up at Frank.

"I wasn't feeling well." It wasn't a lie; yesterday had been one of the most miserable days of Frank's life.

"You were sick?" Nick looked concerned.

"Sort of." _Stupidity could be a disease, right?_ "But I'm feeling better now. I missed you!" Frank smiled.  
"I missed you too!" Nick beamed and hugged Frank around the waist fiercely. "Guess what! Uncle Joe gave a presentation at my school!"

"Wow!" Frank grinned. "Oh, open the gift," he turned and told Nancy.

"Did you get Mommy a present?" Zoe suddenly appeared as well.

"A present?" Lizzy also seemed to pop up from nowhere.

Nancy reached into the bag and pulled out a simple silver charm bracelet.

"Frank, it's so nice!" Nancy exclaimed, pleased.

"Here," Frank took the bracelet from her and pulled a tiny latch on the heart charm. A small knife suddenly flipped out of the charm. Nancy's eyes widened. "The heart is a knife, there's a small saw in the clover, the leaf can flip open to be a little lighter- but it will run out of fluid really quickly, and the flower contains a small roll of super strong invisible thread," Frank explained. "I saw it at one of my defense conferences awhile ago, and then when I was trying to think of a good gift for you, this popped into my head," Frank shrugged, anxiously watching her face to see how Nancy would react.

"Wow! It's perfect!" Nancy beamed, slipping it onto her wrist. "I'm sure it'll come in handy some time."

"Oh, and I got you all something too," Frank told Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy.

"Yay!" Zoe cheered.

"Mommy, did you hear? Frank got us a present!" Lizzy tugged on Nancy's arm.

"I heard," Nancy smiled.

Frank pulled out three small gifts and distributed each to the intended owner. Zoe and Lizzy tore off the wrapping but Nick carefully took off the wrapping in one whole piece.

"Wow!" Nick held up a set of three brightly colored toy cars for Nancy to see. "These are so awesome!" Nick exclaimed excitedly, opening the package quickly.

"Look!" Zoe showed Nancy the small stuffed animal dog that Frank had given her. Lizzy also had a stuffed animal, but it was fluffy white cat.

"Thank you, Frank!" Nick gave Frank a hug. Zoe and Lizzy also excitedly attacked Frank, and Nancy watched with a smile as they laughed when Frank began tickling their feet.

There was no hesitation or fear in her children's faces as they played with Frank.

"I think Pency Waters gave the police the anonymous tip. He probably knew something that somebody didn't want us to know," Nancy theorized.

"I agree," Frank nodded. "And I think there might be a connection with the police, because somebody knew I was on the case. And it definitely wasn't public knowledge."

"Or, the break in could have been connected to Helen's husband," Nancy mused.

"Vroom! Vroom!" A bright blue toy car suddenly began skidding over the expanse of notes laid out on the table, guided by a small hand.

"Easy there, driver," Frank shook his head with a smile.

"Nick, honey, we need to focus," Nancy ruffled her son's red blonde hair. "Maybe could you set up a race course on the floor?"

"Okay," Nick agreed. "VroOOM!" he shouted, running off into the living room.

They turned back to the notes.

"Apparently there's a sort of drug mafia group in Oakfield. It could be that they're the ones responsible for the deaths." Nancy was scribbling thoughts down on a piece of paper.

"So, maybe Theo was involved in the group, tried to pull out since he was quitting, and they were afraid that he would tattle on them, so they killed him..."

"And Pency knew that Theo was killed by them, called in the anonymous tip." Nancy nodded. "And then they somehow found out it was him and…"

"Woof! Woof!" Zoe streaked by, a blur of red hair. "Woof!"

"Meow!" Lizzy toddled more unsteadily after her, holding up the stuffed animal Frank had given her.

"Probably should have warned you it's never quiet with three children around," Nancy laughed.

"I'm enjoying it," Frank grinned. "So about Pency…"

"Where did those two wild animals go?!" Fenton burst into the kitchen.

"The cat or the dog?" Frank asked politely, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Both." Fenton was breathing heavily, a smile hiding beneath his pretend look of anger.

"That way." Frank and Nancy pointed, and Fenton ran out of the kitchen.

"Your dad is such a sweetheart," Nancy laughed.

"Hey bro! Hi Nan!" Joe strolled into the kitchen, nearly radiating happiness. He paused to look back and forth between Nancy and Frank, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

"What?" Frank raised an eyebrow, his face flushing slightly.

"So you took the flower and jewelry approach. Classy. I've taught you well." Joe looked smug.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Frank's face was definitely reddening.

"You know, the mess-up ritual," Joe prompted Frank. "For me, I usually get Vanessa perfume for minor mess-ups and jewelry for major. But I agree, flowers work better for Nancy than perfume," Joe nodded knowingly.

"Joe…" Frank growled.

"The charm bracelet has secret tools hidden in it," Nancy supplied helpfully. Joe raised his eyebrows.

"Wow, Frank, that is impressive. You must be a natural. Have you practiced on other women?"

"Joe!" Frank lunged at his brother. Joe laughed and ran out of the kitchen. "I swear…" Frank growled. Nancy couldn't stop laughing. "You know, you don't have to laugh at me," Frank huffed.

"Oh yes I do," Nancy grinned. Frank raised an eyebrow. "Right, the case," Nancy couldn't hide her smile. "Why don't you call Greta Patterson? See what she has to say."

"Alright. Let me look up her number," Frank brightened.

Suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door.

_**Please review!**_


	9. A New Suspect

_**Thanks for being so patient! I have no idea what was going on with that chapter. I'm just hoping it doesn't happen with this one! Also big thanks for all the reviews!**_

_**Not going to lie, I love this Fenton/Frank scene at the end. So adorable to write. Let me know what you think! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Unfortunately**_

Nancy and Frank exchanged a confused look. "I'll get it," Frank said worriedly.

"I'm coming." Nancy followed him to the door. She saw him bite his lip and glance at her, but at her challenging stare he said nothing.

Frank moved to the door and opened it slowly. A very pale man with dark hair and light eyes was standing in the doorway, an unhappy expression on his face.

"Oh. Hey Ryan," Frank relaxed. Nancy looked at the man again and faintly recognized him as one of Frank's coworkers; a subordinate detective in the field.

"We need to talk." Ryan crossed his arms. He didn't even glance at Nancy. Frank stiffened ever so slightly at the disrespectful attitude of the man, but Nancy admired how well he concealed it.

"Of course. Come on in," Frank opened the door. "What's up?" Frank asked, leading him to the kitchen. Ryan paused uncomfortably, glancing at Nancy.

"What?" Frank's brow furrowed.

"It's confidential…" Ryan gave Nancy a pointed look. Frank's confused expression cleared.

"Nancy knows all about the case," Frank assured Ryan quickly. However the man looked more upset at that.

"You're not supposed to discuss…"

"I'll leave," Nancy said quickly. She felt it wasn't worth it to cause a fight between the two men. Plus she knew she would get the full story from Frank anyways.

"Nan…" Frank looked after her.

"Nope, it's fine."

Frank watched her leave, and then impatiently turned to Ryan, not able to completely hide his displeasure.

"What is it?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"I think the case should be dropped," Ryan said, his pale eyes darting around the room in an unsettling manner. Frank stared at him, eyes wide with shock.

"What?"

"We have no proof that Theo Salder or Pency Waters was murdered except one anonymous phone call!" Ryan's voice rose slightly. "It's ridiculous to keep up this investigation! We're wasting money!"

"So what do you think happened?" Frank asked quietly, his tone as tense as a taut wire.

"It was probably an accidental overdose or suicide. The fact that they knew each other could be just random coincidence!"

"It's funny how so few things turn out to be coincidence," Frank muttered. "I'm sorry Ryan, but I'm going to continue the case." The authority felt good. "I think there's enough evidence to suggest this was a murder."

"What sort of evidence?" Ryan frowned.

Frank felt a sudden unease at the detective's manner.

"Listen, Ryan, thanks for your concern, but as the authority on this case, I think this is a valid case. Which reminds me, I should probably get back to my work." Frank sidestepped the question and subtly guided Ryan to the door.

"Look, Mr. Hotshot," Ryan growled, pale eyes flashing and crossing his arms. "Just because you got hired as Chief Detective because of your celebrity status of an investigator doesn't mean all the shots are yours to call. I'm going to bring up this issue with the mayor. You're wasting the city's tax dollars!"

With that, Ryan stormed out of the house, leaving Frank shocked over what he had just heard.

* * *

"Why are you not more upset about this?!" Joe exclaimed, pacing back and forth. "Those things he said… It was completely out of line! You should report this to the Chief Comissioner!"

"No. At least, not yet," Frank shook his head.

"We think there might be a rat in the field," Nancy explained. "That would at least explain how Frank was connected to the case if the shooter at my house was because of that. We all know his cases are basically undercover…"

"Except in the field," Fenton finished, nodding. He gave a long sigh. "A traitor in the police force or detective wing is not good."

"So you suspect Ryan?" Joe stopped pacing, his blue eyes wide.

"He was definitely acting suspicious. He wanted to know what the evidence was, something about his manner…"

"Mom! Lizzie took my toy!" Zoe's wail interrupted their conversation. Lizzie's angry cry soon filled the air as well.

"Keep talking," Nancy flashed them a rueful grin and quickly left the room.

"Joe!" Vanessa called from upstairs, and Joe jumped up without hesitation.

"Be right back guys," Joe slapped Frank on the back and jogged out of the room, leaving Frank and Fenton at the table.

"Joe's been obeying Van's every whim lately," Frank observed.

Fenton just hid a small smile. He had quite a few more years of wisdom than his son and he had his own theory on what was going on. However he felt no need to share it. Instead he changed the subject.

"Nancy says you two talked," Fenton broke the silence. Frank nodded.

"I'm sorry Dad. I know you were all tied up in my actions…"

"Frank, we all understand," Fenton cut him off. "It probably wasn't the wisest decision, but you worked it out and that's what matters. I think you made the right choice," he said firmly. "And trust me, I understand what you were thinking. It's a dangerous trap, Frank, especially for you. The idea that you might be endangering those you love is one of the most frightening things I have faced." Fenton sighed heavily, meeting Frank's gaze evenly. "And I know losing the ones you love is also what you fear perhaps most of all."

Frank swallowed painfully. His father was completely right.

"But don't let that fear control you," Fenton finished. "A life guided by fear will lead you nowhere. I think it's similar to what you told Nick one time…"

Frank looked up, startled. Fenton's dark eyes sparkled.

"Didn't you tell him it was okay to be angry, but not to let it control him?" Fenton asked.

"How did you know that?" Frank's mouth fell out.

"Because he told me. Nick's a smart boy. And he remembers what you told him, and even more than that, he's trying to do what you advised him to do. I think that boy admires you more than you realize. And you have a chance to make a difference in his life." Fenton's gaze was serious.

Frank felt a burst of warmth in his chest.

"I won't let him down," he said determinedly.

"Everybody lets each other down at some point. Nobody's perfect. The important thing is to keep trying." Fenton pulled out a small black velvet box out of his pocket. The material was slightly water stained and dirty, but Frank recognized it right away. Fenton pressed the box into Frank's hand, and Frank's fingers subconsciously curled around it.

"I found this outside in the bushes. Give her some time," Fenton suggested, patting his eldest son's shoulder.

"Thanks Dad."

_**Please Review!**_


	10. A Note and a Phone Call

_**Yay! 10th chapter! And 10 is my favorite number :) **_

_**Action soon, probably next chapter! I would write some witty comments here but my brain is seriously too dead to come up with anything. So let's just get on with the chapter :D**_

_**Anyways, thanks for the amazing reviews! Glad you all liked the Fenton/Frank scene!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"What does a cow say?"

"MOO!" Lizzy squealed, bouncing up and down in Nancy's lap.

"Moo!" Ivan laughed, cuddled up against Nancy's side.

"Did you know that cows have four stomachs?" Nick said, wrapping his arms around Nancy's neck.

"No they don't!" Zoe's brow furrowed. She paused from playing with her stuffed animals and turned to Nancy. "We have one stomach, right, Mommy?"

"I said a _cow_, silly," Nick explained earnestly.

"No!" Zoe stubbornly shook her head. "One stomach!'

"Noooooo! They have four!" Nick argued.  
"No! Only one!"

"MOO! MOO!" Lizzy and Ivan shrieked.

"Okay, settle down!" Nancy raised her voice slightly to be heard. "Zoe is right. Humans have one stomach. But Nick is also right, because cows do have four stomachs. Do you know why?" Nancy asked Nick.

"Because they have to digest grass," Nick announced promptly.

"Nancy?"

Nancy looked up to see that Helen was standing in the doorway, her face pale.

"What?" Nancy quickly got up, pushing some toys towards Ivan and Lizzy and stepping into the door. "Helen?" Nancy's heartbeat rose as she saw her friend's tear streaked face.

Helen wordlessly held out a piece of paper.

"I found it outside the door."

Nancy quickly scanned the note written in dark red ink.

_We know where you are._

* * *

"No prints," Frank confirmed, his brow furrowed with worry. "No watermarks on the paper either. There aren't any clues on this thing."  
"Someone knows where we are," Helen said shakily. Joe was standing in the doorway, a stormy expression on his face.

"The question is, is that person connected with your husband or a criminal from the case?" Nancy mused.

"Or both," Frank murmured darkly. "The note could be intended for Helen, or for me. It's ambiguous."

Suddenly Nancy's cell phone began to ring. She quickly opened it.  
"Hello?"

"Hi Nancy, this is Lance," a male voice said cheerfully. Nancy's brow furrowed quizzically.

"I'm sorry, who?" she asked. Frank gave her a questioning look and she shrugged.

"Lance Peters. I was the police officer at your apartment after the shooting."

_Ah._ Nancy thought with a tinge of annoyance, quickly matching a face with a name.

"Oh, hi Lance. Do you need my statement on something?"

"Actually I need to talk to you," Lance said. "I forgot to ask you some things in my questioning."

"Okay. Want to just ask me over the phone?" Nancy suggested, slipping out of the room. She walked quietly past the bedrooms where her children and Ivan were sleeping. She couldn't decide whether or not to be annoyed. But Lance had been pretty polite, so Nancy wasn't too bothered.

"Well… Sure," Lance agreed. "Alright. I need to know if you saw where the shooter exited."

"I'm not sure but I think he went out the front door, which he smashed on the way in."

"And you and your friend were behind the counter the entire time?" Lance asked.

"We were standing around the counter when the shooter came in, I was closer to the door. We were behind the counter in less than a minute. We probably spent about fifteen minutes there before the shooter left, and another couple minutes before the police showed up," Nancy explained.

"Do you think you could identify the man on a line up?" Lance asked seriously.

"Probably not. The person was in all black with a ski mask. All I know is that the shooter was pretty tall, and on the thinner side. That's all. I mean, technically we don't even know that it is a man," Nancy sighed, sitting down, running a hand through her hair, the red blonde strands slipping through her fingers. "Do you have some suspects?"  
"None," Lance said grimly. "The whole thing is a dead end. We have reports that he ran into the woods behind the complex but the tracks disappear. And we have no idea who we're looking for. It's not looking good. Any ideas on who would be out there to get you?"

"Nope," Nancy murmured. She knew since the case was Frank's, it was his call whether or not that information was able to be shared with Lance. And until she knew that, she wasn't going to say a word. As for the questions around Helen's husband, she wasn't going to say anything yet. Maybe it was her stubbornness or her past as a detective that kept her from telling him. Sometimes it was simplest to leave the police out.

Although technically Joe was a police officer…

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure there will be a detective assigned to the case due to the lack of evidence. I mean, there's a police search, but it might not go further than that."

"How's the apartment?" Nancy asked, her respect for Lance rising. He seemed to know what he was talking about, and even with he was obviously flirting with her earlier, he knew his job.

"Pretty trashed. You know your insurance company came to look at it?"

"Yeah, they told me. They're covering the repairs, thank goodness. Is there any chance that I could go over there at some point and pick up some of our stuff?" Nancy asked hopefully. "My kids have toys and clothing there that I would really appreciate getting back." Quickly she started mentally creating a list. _Lizzy's blanky, Nick's books and school supplies, Zoe's stuffed animals, all ourclothes…._

"I don't know…." Lance hesitated. "I'll see what I can do."

"Great. Thank you so much," Nancy grinned, shifting in her chair.

"Okay, well thanks Nancy. I'll get back to you about your stuff. I need to talk to my boss about this case. Chances are that there will be a look out for the shooter, but I think the search will be dropped. I'll let you know."

"Well, just keep me updated. Alright. Thanks Lance." Nancy closed the cell phone.

"Who was that?"

Nancy jumped and looked up to see Frank leaning nonchalantly in the doorway. She could see the slight unease in his eyes. _Jealous, Frank?_

"Officer Peters. He was the first policeman at our apartment. He had a couple questions. How's Helen?" Nancy stood up.

"Shaken up, but okay," Frank relaxed, subconsciously drawing Nancy close to him. She sighed and leaned her head lightly against his shoulder. "Doing okay?" Frank murmured.

"Tired," Nancy yawned.

"The kiddos wearing you out?" Frank asked playfully.

"A bit. And the whole case. I'm behind in my studies too." Nancy blinked tiredly. "I should try to get some done today…"

"You should go to sleep," Frank said firmly.

"Are you?" Nancy crossed her arms and stepped back.

"I took a forced nap this morning, remember?" A smile played on Frank's lips. "I might see if Greta Patterson is up and try to talk to her."

"Where are Joe and Vanessa?" Nancy asked suddenly.

"Vanessa's already in bed. Joe was pretty firm about her needing to get some rest. Maybe she's sick," Frank shrugged. "And Joe went out to the base to check in on some stuff, but he should be back soon. Mom and Dad are already in bed too."

"Was Vanessa okay this morning?" Nancy mused. "I heard her and Joe up pretty early. And we both know that Joe doesn't wake up early unless there's something major. Or bacon."

"She seemed alright," Frank said. "Maybe she's sick and that's why Joe has been treating her like a queen. More than usual, that is…"

Nancy thought that over for a moment, a sudden thought flashing through her mind.

"Alright then, I'm going to go to bed then," Nancy decided, keeping the theory to herself. "Are you going back to your place now?"

"I'll probably do some work here then head out." To be honest, Frank wasn't exactly eager to leave the house. His whole family was in this house. A cold empty apartment wasn't very appealing compared to that. At night, the house was so attractive, knowing that those he loved were all there.

During the day, it was the definition of pure chaos.

"Alright. Well, see you sometime tomorrow." Nancy kissed him gently. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, feeling her body press against his.

"Good night," Nancy whispered as they broke apart.

"Good night."

She slipped by him, leaving him gazing after her as she went up the stairs.

_**Please review! Maybe 10 reviews for the 10th chapter? :D**_


	11. Picking Up the Pace

_**Feeling miserable as I am sick! This stinks :( But at least I can still work on the story! :D Notice that a cat plays a pivotal role in this chapter! (sort of...) **_

_**Thank you for the reviews! You are all amazing! I would enthuse some more but I feel too sick. But thanks and please keep it up! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys or Bluetooth **_

After a moment, Frank turned and pulled his work out of his laptop bag and spread the papers out over the kitchen table, opening his laptop as well.

His cell phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Is this Detective Hardy?"

"Yes, it is," Frank's curiosity sparked at the hesitant woman's low voice. "Who is this?"

"Greta Patterson. I was Theo Salder's girlfriend." Her voice was hushed.

"I was just about to call you, actually," Frank said, surprised.

"I think I found something you might be interested in," Greta whispered. "I think someone broke into my house looking for it."

"You think?"

"Nothing is missing. But a couple things seem to be slightly out of place, and there are some scratches on the door knob. Also, the biggest clue is that my cat got outside, when I'm certain I left her inside. I don't let her out until it's warmer. But I found her waiting outside the door when I got home from work."

"But nothing is missing?" Frank's pen was flying across a piece of paper.

"Not that I can tell."

"Why didn't you call the police?" Frank asked.

"I did. They sent a police officer, but he left after a couple minutes. He didn't believe that the apartment was broken into."

Frank frowned. That was decidedly unprofessional, especially considering Greta's connection with Theo Salder.

"Where are you now?"

"At a hotel. I don't feel safe at home."

"That's probably best," Frank agreed. "What was it you wanted to show me?"

"When I noticed something was off at home, I went through our files to see if anything was gone. I... I found a folder in Mitsy's folder..."

"Mitsy?"

"Our cat. Actually she was Theo's. He loved her like nothing else..." Greta's voice quavered only slightly. "The folder had adoption and vet papers in it. But when it slipped from my grip, the papers all fell out. And at the bottom were several papers and pictures. Detective, I think they have to do with the drug dealer that Theo used to be obtaining drugs from."

Frank's pulse increased slightly. _Finally_ he could be making a breakthrough!

"Can you tell me about them?"

"Actually I was wondering if you could come pick them up. I want to make sure they get into the right hands."

"Alright. Where are you?"

* * *

Frank closed the car door softly, taking quick strides towards the local Holiday Inn's back entrance. He paused for a moment, his fingertips brushing against the cool metal gun in his belt. He had talked with Joe, letting him know where he was headed in case things went badly. Experience had taught him never to go into an unknown situation without at least one person knowing what he was up to.

He approached a shadowy figure in the doorway.

"Greta? This is Detective Hardy."

"I have them right here." The woman's voice was soft and shook slightly. As he got a little closer, Frank could make out the features of the young lady's face. He reached out and took the small briefcase she was holding out to him.

"Thanks. I'll let you know how things go," Frank said. "Call me with any concerns."

"Okay. Good luck," Great whispered. Frank turned and strode back to his car. Quickly he tossed the brief case onto the passenger seat and started the engine. He paused to call Joe.

"Frank?" Joe's voice was alert.

"I got it, haven't looked at it yet. I'm driving back home," Frank quickly updated him, turning the call over to Bluetooth in his car so he could talk and drive.

"Your apartment or our house?" Joe asked. Frank backed up and quickly sped out of the hotel parking lot. Another car also pulled out behind him. "Frank?"

Frank ignored him for a moment, turning onto a main road. Sure enough, the other car followed.

"Crap. Joe, I think I have a tail." Frank took a quick turn onto a small side road, increasing his speed. "I'm going to try to lose them."

"Keep the call on," Joe said tensely. Frank could hear the undertone of concern in his brother's voice.

"I'm going back to the police headquarters. I can't lead these goons to the house," Frank hissed, taking a sharp turn. The shining lights reflecting in his mirror told him that he hadn't lost the people following him. In fact, they were getting closer. But Frank didn't want to go much faster in the dark.

"Crap."

"What?"

"They're getting closer," Frank grimaced, turning onto a main road again.

"I'm at the headquarters. I'll meet you here. Don't park, just run out," Joe's voice came over the speakers.

"Okay, heading downtown," Frank reported, checking his mirror. "I can't see what the car looks like, it's too dark and the headlights are blinding my view. At least the roads are pretty empty."

"Just get down here."

Suddenly the car following him switched lanes and began increasing speed. Seeing that the car was trying to get parallel, probably so that it could force him off the road, Frank slammed on his brakes, causing the other car to shoot way ahead of him. Then Frank quickly turned onto a different road.

"Almost there," he gasped, taking another turn. The telltale headlights were nowhere in view. "I think I lost them."

"I'm running out front to meet you," Joe told him tensely.

Frank could see the headquarters come into view.

"I think I see you," Joe's voice came over the speakers.

Suddenly the car jerked, and Frank flew against his seat belt at the impact, a crashing sound mixing with a muted roar echoing his ears. He felt a sharp pain in his temple, and then the world went black.

* * *

Joe raced out the door of the headquarters, his phone at his ear. With a breath of relief, he saw a car coming towards the building. Frank.

"I think I see you," Joe said.

All of a sudden, Joe could make out the dark figure of a car, without headlights on, crash into Frank's vehicle. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, and Joe watched with paralyzing horror as Frank's car skidded off the road and into a telephone pole only a little ways down the road.

"Frank!" Joe yelled, sprinting towards the wreckage.

The car that had hit Frank's also skidded to a stop a little ways away, and two people jumped out.

_They're after the briefcase from Greta!_ Joe pulled out his gun.

"Stay back! You're under arrest!" he yelled, reaching the car before them. It was too dark to make out who the people were.

A shot pinged of the side of Frank's car. Joe instantly ducked, fury coursing through his body. He fired a shot into the dark. A shout full of pain broke through the air. Lights were turning on, and Joe spotted several of his coworkers sprinting towards them.

The sound of a car speeding off into the darkness told Joe that the attackers had fled.

"Frank! Oh god, Frank!" Joe quickly realized that the driver's door wasn't going to open; it was hopelessly bent from the impact with the telephone pull. "Frank!" Joe yelled, sprinting to the passenger's side. He could barely make out his brother's limp form in the darkness. Smoke was starting to billow from the engine, the pungent smell filling his nostrils and adding urgency to the situation. Joe knew he needed to get his brother out of the car.

_Please, please, please don't let this make any of his injuries worse,_ Joe prayed, climbing into the car. He pushed the deflated airbag off Frank, struggling to unbuckle the car seat, and hooking his arms around Frank's still form. He felt warm sticky moisture on his skin. Blood.

"Joe! The car's going to blow!" Lance's voice rang out from behind him. Adrenaline filled Joe and he pulled Frank out of the car as flames began to lick the front of the car.

"Call an ambulance!" someone was yelling, and Joe felt Frank's heavy form being taken from his arms.

"Lay him on the ground and don't move him!" someone ordered.

"He's breathing! Heartbeat is faint but steady!"

Joe, shaking, turned to look at the car which was beginning to light the whole area with blazing flames, realizing that something was wrong.

The briefcase.

Joe raced to the car, ignoring the searing heat and the yells of his coworkers. He threw open the car door and reached for the black briefcase from the passenger seat, biting his tongue as flames licked at his arm. His fingers closed around the plastic handle just as he was yanked away from the car.

"Joe, what the hell!" Chief Barber yelled, dragging him from the burning car. The faint scream of sirens was approaching.

The briefcase in Joe's hand went unnoticed as the Chief turned to Frank.

**_Please review!_**


	12. Early Morning Call

_**Okay everyone, I apologize in advance. This chapter isn't exactly my best work... Let's just blame it on being sick. But thanks for all the support and hopefully the pace will be picking up! (yes, I have decided on the gender of Joe and Vanessa's child, no, I'm not going to tell you) Thanks for all the lovely reviews! (welcome back FutureAnimator, and yes I forgive you :D)**_

_**Anyways, hopefully you enjoy this chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Mom?"

"Mmm?" Nancy groaned and turned over. _Please just let me sleep…_

"Mom!" The whisper was more urgent, and Nancy slowly opened her eyes. Nick was leaning over her, his red hair falling into his eyes.

"I'm awake. What is it?" Nancy yawned, stifling a feeling of annoyance. Someday she wanted to sleep through the whole night without being woken up.

"I think your phone is ringing," Nick whispered.

At his words, Nancy was suddenly aware of the muted notes of her ringtone drifting through the night air. Part of her wanted to just leave it and go back to sleep. Then again, she didn't get many calls at one in the morning.

Beside her, Lizzy stirred and rolled over.

"I'll get it, go back to sleep," Nancy whispered and slipped out of the bed, regretfully leaving the warmth of the covers. She dug the phone out of her jean pocket just before the last ring.

"Hello?" Nancy yawned, moving into the hallway.

"Nancy, it's Joe." His voice was worn. Nancy caught the undercurrent of worry.

"Oh god, is it Frank?" she gasped.

"Long story that I probably shouldn't explain over the phone. We're on our way to the hospital. Unfortunately they're making me go too."

"Are you okay? Frank?" Nancy asked breathlessly, flicking on the light switch in the kitchen. She considered sitting down, then realized she was far to restless to be still. Instead she paced the room.

"I'm alright, a little singed, I guess. Frank… I'm not sure," Joe's voice dropped, and Nancy stopped, struggling for air. "There was a car crash, hit and run. The car skidded across the street and hit a telephone pole. It caught on fire, but we got him out before it flamed up," Joe said quietly.

Nancy took a deep breath, trying to stabilize herself.

"How is he?"

"I couldn't tell, it was too dark. He was still unconscious when the ambulance came."

"Where?"  
"Oakfield Main Hospital."

"I'm on my way. Let me go tell Vanessa."

* * *

"Frank?"

It was a soft voice, filled with concern. Frank tried to force his eyes open, only briefly contemplating allowing the pain coursing through his head to pull him back into darkness. "Frank, I did not travel all the way over here in the middle of the night to watch you sleep!" The voice was playful, but underneath seemed tired and worried.

Frank's eyes flickered open, and he instantly met the crystal blue eyes of Nancy. Her strawberry blond hair was swept back into a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a large baggy t-shirt with a pair of jeans, and a coat thrown over her shoulders.

"Hey beautiful," Frank murmured, blinking his eyes.

"That's a Joe line, Frank. How are you feeling?"

"Like I crashed into a telephone pole with my car after being hit by some criminals." Frank pulled himself into a sitting position.

"So you remember?"

"Yeah. How long have I been out?" Frank massaged his temples with one hand.

"About an hour. They did a scan, and everything looks okay, no brain damage or anything. You have some stitches on your forehead, bruises and scrapes, but other than that, no major injuries," Nancy told him. He reached out and took her hand, and was surprised to find that it was shaking slightly.

"Were you worried?" he whispered. Nancy grasped his hand.

"Of course I was," she answered softly. Despite the aching of his head, Frank leaned forward and kissed her.

"Whoa, this is a hospital guys!" Joe held up his hands in mock horror, walking into the room. "At least you're well enough to make out with your girlfriend."

"Hey Joe," Frank grinned.

"Good to have you back," Joe's voice became slightly more serious. One of his arms was bandaged and in a sling. "You scared the heck out of me back there…" Joe trailed off and shook his head. "The car burst into flames and we barely got you out!" Joe motioned at his bandaged arm.

"I guess I got pretty lucky," Frank admitted. Suddenly his dark eyes widened. "Joe!"

"I got it out," Joe told him quickly. "It's locked in a hotel safe."

"What?" Nancy looked back and forth between Frank and Joe.

"Something important. It has to do with the case," Frank told her seriously. Nancy nodded, fear suddenly settling in her stomach. She silently looked at Frank.

His smooth skin was bruised and cut in places and there was a tiny bit of dried blood in his hairline, above where the stitched up gash on his forehead was. She bit her lip slightly. Frank took her hand again, caressing it with his thumb, his dark eyes troubled.

"It could have been you," he said softly.

"We'll get through this." Nancy's voice was quiet but firm.

* * *

Vanessa blinked her eyes a couple times, and looked at Joe who was completely passed out beside her. Although Joe had wanted to stay the night at the hospital, where Frank was being kept for overnight observation, Frank had pointed out that the house might not be completely safe, so Joe had decided to come home to be with her and the children. She had watched as he locked a black briefcase into the house's hidden safe and activated the alarm system.

Seeing the angry burns on Joe's arm, Vanessa was glad that Frank had convinced his brother to come home for the night. She wasn't the only one who needed some rest.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

The bedroom door creaked open and small blond head scurried into Vanessa's view.

Soon two bright grey-blue eyes were peering at her.

"Mommy," Ivan whispered.

"Hi sweetie," Vanessa smiled, lifting the toddler into the bed.

"Daddy asleep?" Ivan asked, snuggling up in the blankets beside her. He reached out one small finger, and moved to touch Joe's face. Vanessa caught his hands in her own and gently held him back.

"Yes, Daddy's sleeping and we don't want to wake him up," she told her son.

"Oh," Ivan whispered. Joe stirred slightly.

Vanessa decided that if Joe was going to keep sleeping, she would have to take Ivan out.

"C'mon, let's go back to your room. I'll come with you," Vanessa got out of bed and picked Ivan up, heading out of the bedroom and into the hall. Suddenly a wave of nausea washed over her. _No, not again!_

"One second," Vanessa told Ivan, putting him down rushing to the bathroom. She was sick once, but tried to calm her rolling stomach. She hadn't been this sick with Ivan...

"Vanessa?"

She tried to respond, but was overcome with more nausea. A smooth cool hand brushed the hair out of her face and provided comforting support.

"Don't think about being sick. If you think about being nauseous, it will make it worse," Nancy's gentle voice told her. "Do you think you're done?"

Vanessa nodded, slowly straightening, feeling frustratingly useless as Nancy hurried around her cleaning her up. She could feel the urge to be sick again coiling in her stomach like a predator preparing to pounce.

"Don't even think about it," Nancy shook her head and gently helped Vanessa sit on the padded bench in the hall. Vanessa leaned heavily back. "Are you taking prenatal vitamins?"

"Just started," Vanessa said weakly.

"Try children's vitamins instead. They will be easier to digest. Stay away from foods that are hard to digest. And see if you can get up slowly in the morning, that might help with the morning sickness too," Nancy advised. As Vanessa listened to her, she found the nausea slipping out of her attention, and suddenly felt that perhaps she wouldn't have to throw up again.

"Thanks Nancy," Vanessa looked at the beautiful petite woman beside her with gratitude.

"No problem. I've been through this three times," Nancy smiled, her blue eyes glittering.

"I never had much sickness with Ivan," Vanessa shook her head with confusion.

"It might get better," Nancy said optimistically. "How far along are you?"

"Seven weeks," Vanessa told her. "We only found out yesterday and we were going to keep it a secret until the case resolved. But I guess the cat's out of the bag…" Vanessa sighed.

"Congratulations!" Nancy hugged Vanessa. "And I'll keep it a secret for you. As far as I can tell, Frank is clueless."

"Thanks," Vanessa smiled, a rush of happiness flowing through her. "We're so excited. You should have seen Joe. He was so happy," Vanessa smiled down at her lab.

"That's great. You two are a great pair," Nancy said softly a wistful expression on her face.

"Oh, Nancy, how did you do it?" Vanessa asked quietly. She still couldn't believe the things Nancy had gone through on her own. Vanessa could barely imagine what it would be like to be pregnant without steady, loving Joe at her side.

Nancy just smiled and shook her head.

"I'm not going to lie; it was hard. But there are worse things in life," she shrugged and yawned.

"How was Frank?"

"He was sleeping when I left. I wanted to stay longer, but I didn't want Helen to have to watch the kids all night. I think he'll be released later today," Nancy told Vanessa. A flicker of fear flashed in her expression. "Thank god it wasn't worse than it was. There could have been so much more damage…" Nancy closed her eyes briefly.

"If it were you, you wouldn't even be bothered," Vanessa said quietly, and touched Nancy's hand lightly. "Sometimes I think you and Frank are pretty similar. You both have the self-sacrificing thing going on," Vanessa gave a small smile.

"When it comes to self-sacrificing, I don't know if anyone can beat Frank," Nancy shook her head, her expression relaxing.

_**Small note: the next chapter might be a little late. So don't freak out if the story isn't updated on schedule. The beginning of this week is very busy for me, and I'm behind on this story, so I might take a small break for the good of the story. Not sure yet, but just a heads up. You all will survive somehow, I'm sure :)**_

_**Please Review! :D**_


	13. Falling Into Place

_**Yay! Next chapter! keeping to the schedule so far... Probably most of you have noticed this, but mysteries aren't exactly my strong point. But I am doing my best! :)**_

_**Thanks for the lovely reviews! We reached 150! Which is amazing for only twelve chapters!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Ready to get out of here?" A dark head peeked into the hospital room. Frank sat up and smiled.

"Hey Sean!" Frank grinned. Although Sean was one of the most inexperienced detectives in the force, he liked the young man and saw the potential that was there.

"How are you doing?" Sean asked, running a hand through his golden hair.

"Pretty good, considering. The pain meds are helping," Frank said, getting up and stretching. He winced slightly as his fingers brushed against his forehead. He was going to have a scar for sure.

"Are they releasing you?"

"I should be good to go," Frank nodded. "Think you could drive me over to the station? I need to pick up some stuff."

Sean looked hesitant. "Are you sure you shouldn't just go home? Won't Nancy come to pick you up?"

"I just need to pick up some of my notes. I'll let Nancy know," Frank told him. Internally he knew Nancy wasn't going to be that excited about the arrangement, but Frank wanted to solve the case. Fast. Joe had told him before he left that he had put the briefcase of notes into Frank's safe in his office.

Sean mused it over as the doctor came over and checked Frank over, taking some quick tests before deciding Frank could go home. As Frank quickly pulled on a t-shirt and some jeans, the young man came to a conclusion.

"Alright, I'll take you to the station and then to Joe's place. But I'm not responsible for anything that happens when Nancy finds out."

"Deal." Frank grinned. However his smile slipped from his face as he realized the serious danger he was putting everybody in if he decided to take the briefcase to the house. "Actually Sean, I need to work at the station. Just trust me on that." His stomach clenched at the idea of anyone being harmed. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Sean hesitated.

"But…"  
"Sean, I know what I'm doing. I feel fine." It wasn't completely true; he felt slightly off balance and his head was pounding and he felt sore all over. But he would survive.

"Alright," Sean nodded reluctantly. Even though he and Frank were pretty good friends, he knew it would be crossing the line to tell his superior investigator what to do. "Nancy's going to kill me…"  
"I'll handle Nancy," Frank promised, gulping at the prospect.

"Ryan says you should drop the case," Sean commented, walking out of the room with Frank once an appointment for removing stitches was made. Frank bristled.

"He shouldn't be talking about that," he said stiffly. That was decidedly unprofessional behavior. True, Ryan had a right to be upset, but he still should have had the maturity to know that it was a conflict between the two of them.

"Yeah, I definitely didn't agree with him. I think he might just be upset at you."

"What does he have against me?" Frank groaned, running a hand through his dark hair. Ever since he had arrived at the job, he had felt nothing but hostility from Ryan.

Sean shrugged. "Everybody thought he was going to become Lead Investigator before the Chief hired you. Maybe that's why."  
Frank frowned. That would explain the hostility. His thoughts flickered back to the case. Could it be that Ryan was so opposed to him that he would turn against his force?  
Pushing the thought out of his mind for the moment, Frank pulled his cell phone out and typed in Nancy's number.

"Frank?"

"Hey Nan, I just got out of the hospital. Sean is driving me over to the station…"

"Don't tell me you're going to work," Nancy sighed.

"Nancy, I have to figure out this case. It's getting serious."

"You just got out of the hospital."

"I think we might have a lead…" Frank glanced at Sean.

"Bring it home."

"I can't…" Frank was very aware of Sean sitting right next to him.

"Is it the briefcase?"  
"How did…"

"I interrogated Joe. Do you really think that I thought you just got in a car crash? Frank, you really should be resting."

"As soon as I get this done," Frank promised. He heard Nancy's sigh.

"Fine. You have two hours, and then I want you home."

"Deal."

* * *

Frank entered his office, closed the door and locked it. He went to the safe and pulled out the slightly singed black briefcase, taking it to his desk.

He reached out and flipped open one metal clasp, then the other.

Joe was going to kill him.

Frank opened the case and pulled out a folder of papers. Quickly he opened it up and scanned the pages.

There were several pages of paperwork. At first it looked suspicious, then Frank realized that it was simply a form for medical heroin. It looked fairly standard. Greta must have been mistaken in her suspicions.

Groaning, Frank let the papers fall from his fingers.

Dead end.

Frank let his head fall into his hands.

There was a knock on the door. Suddenly exhausted, Frank pulled himself to his feet and yanked the door open.

Ryan was standing in the doorway.

Frank stiffened, but to his surprise, Ryan looked rather sheepish.

"Listen, Frank, I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry about your accident last night. When I heard you were hurt… I felt like a huge jerk."

Frank was silent for a moment, but saw genuine regret in Ryan's pale eyes.

"Thanks. But it would really mean a lot if you wouldn't keep challenging my position. If you have an issue with it, please bring it up with the people who hired me. I want to help this team as much as you and it would be best if we worked together."

"Alright," Ryan nodded slowly. "I guess I gave in to Lance's suspicions, I'm sorry that was unprofessional."

"Hold on. Lance?" Frank's eyes narrowed, and his heart began to pound.

"Yeah, he came and was complaining to me about you, and how the case was a dead end. I guess he kind of got me fired up, I'm sorry," Ryan looked ashamed.

"No, no, it's fine…" Frank was already miles away. "Listen, Ryan, let's talk later, I need to go ask my brother something…" Frank gave an empty smile and jogged towards his brother's office.

* * *

"Mom! The phone!" Nick yelled, racing into the room, gripping Nancy's cell phone in one hand, and a toy car in the other.

"Thanks sweetie," Nancy kissed his forehead and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Nancy, it's Lance."

"Oh, hi Lance," Nancy smiled, crossing her fingers.

"I talked to my boss and he said it would be okay for you to pick up your stuff."

"Really? Awesome!" Nancy grinned.

"Yeah, how's Frank? I was there, and it wasn't good."

"You were there?" Nancy's pulse quickened.

"I helped Joe pull Frank out of the burning car."

"Oh my god, thank you," Nancy breathed. "He's doing well."

"Thank goodness," Lance sighed. "So, do you need a ride to the apartment?"

"It's okay; I can drive a car over."

"Alright. Is it alright if I come over too? I want to see if there's anything that we've missed. The case is going to be dropped soon…"  
"Yeah, sure, that's fine," Nancy said absentmindedly, already trying to figure out when it would work for her to go. "Um… I think I could make it there in about fifteen minutes."

"Alright, sounds good."

* * *

Joe's office was empty. Frank swore and pulled out his cell phone and dialed Nancy's number.

"Hello, this is Nancy. I'm sorry I'm not able to get to the phone right now, but please leave a message and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible."

_Crap_.

He quickly speed dialed Joe.

"Frank, aren't you in the hospital?!"

"I got out this morning; Sean drove me over to the station. Where's Nancy?"

"Um… I just woke up…" Joe sounded sheepish. "They gave me the day off because of my arm."

"I need to talk to Nancy," Frank drummed his fingers against his thigh.

"What happened?" Joe suddenly sounded much more awake. "Hold on, I'll ask Vanessa."

There was muffled conversation.

"Crap. She left with Helen a little while ago to go back to the apartment. She said Lance arranged for them to get their stuff. There's no way the Chief would allow that. And she forgot her cell phone, we found it on her bed."

Frank swore.

"This is bad."

* * *

"I can't wait to have all my clothes back," Helen grinned.

"I know what you mean," Nancy agreed, pulling into one of the parking spots outside of the apartment complex. "I'm just glad I was able to grab a few outfits for the kids before they taped the place off." She turned off the engine and hopped out of the car, waiting for Helen before she started towards the apartment.

A tall thin man was standing on the sidewalk.

"Hey! Nancy!" Lance strode forward, and then looked slightly alarmed, his eyes flickering towards Helen.

"Hey Lance," Nancy smiled and pulled out her key, stepping toward the apartment. She opened the door and stepped inside. A wave of sadness washed over her as she saw the broken windows and glass littering the ground. The furniture was ridden with bullets, and at the sight, the memory of the panic and fear at the shooting came back to her.

Would she ever be able to live in this apartment again?

"Nancy!" Helen's cry caused Nancy to spin around. Her eyes widened as she saw Helen crumple to the ground at Lance's feet. Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth and a sickly sweet smelling rag was thrust in her face. She slammed her elbow into the form behind her, hearing a groan of pain before she passed out.

_**I know, I'm so evil :D**_

_**Please review!**_


	14. Viper's Nest

_**Ha ha ha that was an evil cliffie :D Anyways, here's the next chapter. If you read it and are like 'what the heck is going on' well, that makes two of us. Not really sure where this is going except it's going...**_

_**Thanks for the reviews! You all are awesome! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Oh my god, no," Vanessa gasped, her grey eyes widening. Behind her, Laura paled, and Fenton's dark eyes flashed. Joe ripped off the sling his arm was in and pulled on his jacket.

"I have to go find Frank."

"The kids, what do we tell the kids?" Vanessa whispered, keenly aware of Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy playing with Ivan in the other room.

Suddenly the phone rang. The seemingly ordinary sound was pivotal under the dire circumstances. Joe turned from the door, his blue eyes shining with unease. Fenton picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"We will do a trade for the briefcase. If you get the police involved, you won't even find the bodies."

The person hung up.

* * *

"Frank we got a ransom call. It was too short to trace. They want the briefcase."

"Crap. Joe, there wasn't even anything in there."

"You're kidding."

"I've never been more serious in my life," Frank said grimly, pacing back and forth in front of the empty car Nancy and Helen had driven to the apartment. "Did they give drop off location?"

"No, they'll probably call back. I'll have someone stay with the phone. But Frank, they think there's incriminating evidence in that briefcase… C'mon, there can't just be nothing in there!" Joe's voice rose slightly.

"Just some sheet for medical heroin…" Frank closed his eyes and tried to focus. He felt dizzy. Why was his head pounding like that?

"That might be a lead!" Joe's tone rose. _How could his brilliant detective brother have missed that?_ "Frank, I want you to come home. You just got out of the hospital."

"I can't," Frank groaned. "Joe, how am I going to face the kids?" his voice dropped to whisper. "I have to keep looking for her. I found her cell phone lying in the apartment. We can't track it..."

"You're not going to get anything done in the state you are in now. Are you seriously going to make me be the level headed one?" Joe growled.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Frank said faintly, a wave of nausea washing over him as the pressure in his head seemed to increase. Joe swore over the phone.

"Frank, either I come pick you up and take you home, or I'm taking you back to the hospital."

Frank felt too sick to respond to that.

"Frank?" Joe's voice was more urgent.

"Still here," Frank grimaced.

"I'm coming. Where are you?"

"Outside Nan's apartment," Frank told his little brother. He felt helpless, his thoughts were all mixed up and he couldn't focus, the pounding of his head roaring in his ears. But worse of all were the images flashing through his mind.

He had to find Nancy and Helen, and soon. Before either of them could be hurt.

But what killed him the most was the fact that someone could be doing whatever they wanted with Nancy right at that moment and he couldn't do a thing about it.

* * *

"I missed you, sweetie."

Helen's eyes flickered open, and she felt a surge of panic as she stared into the dark eyes of her husband. Quickly she sat up, her breath hitching in her chest. Charley was squatting in front of her, his light brown hair falling shaggily around his face, lips drawn back in a half smile.

_The apartment… we were attacked…_

Hold on…

"Nancy!" Helen gasped, looking around the room. It was completely empty. "Where is she?!" Concern somehow gave her courage. Charley leaned back.

"Doesn't matter. What matters is that you tried to leave me. Honey, we've been married since high school. Did you really think you could just leave?"

The hard slap came out of nowhere. Helen backed up slightly, fighting dizziness. Panic coursed through her. _She couldn't be going back to this… _Leaving the abusive relationship had made her realize how bad it was. Now she was on her way back.

Well she wasn't going back without a fight.

"You don't own me," Helen dared to say. Charley grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet.

"You used to be so docile. What happened to my sweet Helen?" he hissed, gazing into her face, his fingers digging into her skin. She was silent, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "It's that red-head," he said finally. "She's stirred you up."

"Where is she?" Helen demanded, trying to keep her hands from shaking.

"Trussed up in one of these rooms," Charley said carelessly, releasing Helen. She stumbled back against the wall. Helen felt a chill run down her spine. _Oh my god, she has to be okay. She has to be okay…_

"You're part of the drug ring," she said finally.

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," Charley told her, his face blank.

"Did you kill those men?" Helen whispered, staring at the man she had spent so many years with.

Something flickered in his dark eyes. _Guilt._ Helen's eyes widened and a hand went to her mouth with shock. "You killed them," she whispered.

"Listen! I had to! You can't just say no when Johnny orders you to do something. They promised to cancel my debts and to return you to me. It was either that or end up in the bottom of a lake somewhere!" Charley growled. His anger and the fact he was actually confiding in her told Helen that he felt intensely guilty.

"Oh my god, you killed two young men. With families and lovers and…" Helen's voice rose, tears springing into her eyes.

"Shut up!" Charley yelled, backhanding her, causing her to cry out in pain and fall back, her vision blurring as the back of her head hit the wall. He knelt in front of her and grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. She could feel his hot breath on her face. She wanted to turn away but was instead forced to look into those dark eyes. "Listen. As soon as Johnny gets this mess cleaned up with the investigator, he'll be skipping town, and you and I are going out west. Just the two of us."

He let her fall back down on the ground and strode out of the room, locking the door behind him.

* * *

Nancy opened her eyes and was immediately aware of the hard floor beneath her body and the pounding in her head. Something was in her mouth. A gag. Struggling to sit up, she quickly found that her hands were fastened tightly behind her back, as were her ankles. The gag in her mouth felt suffocating as her breathing increased slightly.

Helen was nowhere in sight. In fact, she was alone in what looked like a small windowless bedroom. There was no furniture, save a bed, which she could feel behind her. She turned and scraped the corner of the bed against her cheek, letting it catch against the fabric tied around her mouth and pulled it down. _So much better._

_Crap! Where was Helen?!_ Nancy forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't assume the worst. Helen had to be okay. However she knew deep down that there were no guarantees. After all, this was probably the next of a drug ring which had killed two young men.

Nancy swallowed a couple times, trying to get the wooly taste out of her mouth. Suddenly the bed she was leaning against creaked slightly.

She froze. From her position on the floor, she couldn't actually see on the bed. Painfully slowly she twisted her body around.  
Two dark eyes were staring at her from the bed.

It was a small girl, maybe around seven years old, in a long grubby t-shirt and a tattered pair of shorts. Her blond hair was tangled, and her face had a haunted look.

Nancy had no idea what to think. For a moment they both stared at each other.

"Hello, what's your name?" Nancy finally said softly, trying to ignore the fact that she was tied up. The girl blinked and clutched the worn blanket on the bed. "I'm Nancy," Nancy continued, pausing to examine the bindings on her ankles.

Shoot. Zip-ties.

She turned back to the girl, struggling to reach the charm bracelet on her wrist. _What was it… the heart was a knife?_

"I'm Penny," the girl said softly. "Johnny told me not to help you."

_Who is Johnny?_ Nancy wondered. Did he think it was some sort of sick joke to lock a little girl up with a tied up woman and order her not to help her?

Although she wasn't exactly sure of the circumstances, something told Nancy that there were majorly wrong things going on in this place.

"Alright then. We don't want to make Johnny angry," Nancy said gently. "Is this your room? Do you live here?"

"Yes," Penny said, still not moving from the bed. Her dark eyes were wide and cautious. Her whole posture reminded Nancy of a deer; ready to flee if there was a sign of danger.

Nancy's stomach clenched. Something was seriously wrong. She paused to slowly work the charm bracelet into her hand, finding the heart charm and pulling the small lever.

After a moment, Nancy leaned forward and sliced through the plastic around her ankles. She pulled the gag, which was hanging around her neck, over her head and stuffed it in her pocket. No reason to leave that laying around in case her captors came back. Rubbing her wrists, Nancy turned to Penny. Under normal circumstances, she would try to escape as soon as possible. But she knew she couldn't leave the little girl without knowing what was going on.

Frank and Joe would just have to wait a little longer._ And Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy..._ Maybe she could pick up some clues along the way as well.

"Is your door always locked?" Nancy asked softly. Penny stared at her.

"No," Penny whispered. Nancy longed to comb out her tangled blond hair and comfort the small girl, but she knew they would have to build up some trust before she could even approach her. "You're pretty," Penny said suddenly. "Even prettier than Johnny's girls."

Once again, that mysterious Johnny.

"Thank you," Nancy smiled. "Who is Johnny?"

"He's my dad."

_**Not sure what's going on? Neither do I :D**_

_**Please review!**_


	15. Things Get Complicated

_**Hey everybody :D Don't worry, I figured out where this is going. More or less :) Anyways, I wanted to post this chapter earlier, but our wifi was out. But here it is now, not too late! Thanks for all the lovely reviews! **_**_(welcome back NancyAustin! I'm glad you're still reading :) Here's a long chapter for you all! Things are starting to get complicated... _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys_**

**_This Chapter features the FIRST part ever from Nick's POV!_**

"Your dad is here?" Nancy asked slowly. Penny nodded. "What about your mom?"

"She's dead." Penny looked at Nancy with dark frightened eyes.

"My mom died when I was little too," Nancy said softly. Penny looked surprised, and her posture relaxed slightly.

"She did?"

Nancy nodded, slowly stepping to the bed and sitting down. The girl didn't move although she did stiffen slightly.

"Are you hungry?" Nancy asked, pulling a little pack of fruit snacks out of her pocket. As a mother of three small children, she always had snacks on hand. Penny's eyes widened. "These things are great," Nancy laughed, opening the little packet and handing it to the girl. Penny had already eaten a handful before she suddenly blushed and looked up.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Do you want some?" She held out a couple fruit snacks in her open palm.

"No thank you. You'll enjoy them more than me," Nancy said, feeling touched by her generosity under the circumstances. "My kids love them."

"You have kids?" Penny looked up.

"Yes, three," Nancy smiled, although her chest was aching. She missed them already; their bright blue eyes gazing up at her with admiration and love, Nick's sincere smiles, Zoe's mischievous grins…_ Frank and Joe and Vanessa will keep them safe._ "My youngest son is probably a little younger than you. How old are you?"  
"I'm seven," Penny told her proudly, popping a fruit snack in her mouth.

"Do you go to school?"

"No," Penny shook her head, her tangled blond hair flying. "Do you have a husband?"

Nancy's thoughts flashed to Frank. Funny how he was her first thought rather than Tom.

"No. I used to have a husband, but he's in jail for hurting me and my children," Nancy told her honestly. Penny's eyes flickered with understanding.

Suddenly there was the scrape of a key at the door. Nancy spun around. A muscular young man stood in the doorway. His dark eyes narrowed as he saw Nancy standing. His gaze flickered to the cut zip ties on the ground.

"I thought Johnny told you not to help her, brat," the man snarled, and Nancy heard Penny let out a small whimper.

"She didn't," Nancy said in a low voice, stepping in front of Penny. "I did it myself."

"Yeah right," the man growled, but stopped. "Come with me," he grabbed her arm. "Johnny wants a word." He yanked her wrists together and wrapped a rope around them, tying it tightly. "And _you_," the man turned to Penny, who was still on the bed. "Don't even think about moving."

Nancy glanced back at the small girl, meeting her dark scared eyes.

"I'll be back soon," she tried to smile reassuringly before the man yanked her out the door.

* * *

"Where's Mommy?" Zoe tugged on Fenton's sleeve. "I want her here!"

Lizzy began crying, and Fenton pulled the little girl onto his lap with a heavy heart. He didn't know what to say. Nick was silent, watching Fenton carefully with his clear blue eyes. Fenton knew instantly that Nick would know if he lied.

"She's lost," Fenton sighed. "But we're going to find her." It was more or less true.

"She's lost?" Nick repeated, his blue eyes widening. "When is she coming back?"

"I don't know," Fenton said softly. Nick stood up.

"I want to talk to Frank. He'll know where to find her," Nick said.

"Nick, he's sleeping right now…" Joe had practically wrestled a couple sleeping pills into his brother's mouth. It made Fenton's chest ache to see his eldest so distraught and miserable. They needed to find Nancy and Helen quickly.

"He'll understand," Nick insisted. "It's _important_."

Before Fenton could stop him, Nick was running out of the run and up the stairs.

* * *

"Frank! Frank!"

He was being shaken. Frank groaned and opened one eye, sleepiness pressing him down.

"Frank, this is important!" Nick cried.

Suddenly Frank felt wide awake. Crap. How many sleeping pills had he let Joe give him?

"Nick?" Frank sat up, rubbing his head. At least he was feeling a lot better.

"Frank, Grandpa says that Mommy is lost. You need to go find her," Nick said urgently.

"Oh, Nick, we're all trying," Frank said helplessly, getting out of bed and running his hands through his hair.

"No. I _know_ you can find her," Nick insisted, gazing up at Frank. "What if she's sad right now?" Nick's blue eyes filled with tears.

"I'm going to call Joe right now and we're going to go find her," Frank promised, pulling out his cell phone.

"Frank, I think I have a lead," Joe said, picking up.

"What?" Frank's pulse increased.

"That medical heroin sheet- I'm pretty sure it's forged. It's been signed at an office in town…"

"So a drug ring based in a medical drug office," Frank concluded, his pulse rising. "That sounds right!"

"Lance is gone, just like we thought. He's involved. This place must be forging medical papers then supplying drugs! They had a police officer to ward off suspicions in the police force."

"I'll meet you at the station in fifteen minutes," Frank said, hanging up. Finally! They had a lead!

* * *

Nick ran down the stairs and tip-toed around the corner. He wanted to help Frank and Joe, but he knew they would never let him.

But it was _his_ mom, Nick told himself. He ran softly through the kitchen, knowing that Vanessa was in the other room with Grandma and Grandpa. Finally he got to the garage door.

Carefully Nick opened the door, easing it open inch by inch.

There was a thudding noise on the staircase, and Nick knew that Frank was coming down the stairs. Throwing caution to the wind, he ran into the garage and closed the door behind him. Quickly he went to Frank's car and climbed into the back seat.

He was going to get in big trouble.

Nick frowned at that thought. _But he had to help find Mom_, he reasoned. Maybe she would be so happy to see him that she would forget to punish him. Nick remembered one time when he had gotten lost at the grocery store. He had been so scared, even though Frank had been there to help him. But he hadn't even known Frank then. The thought of his mom being scared made him feel cold all over.

That sealed his decision. He was going to help Frank and Joe.

He heard the garage open and he quickly crouched down on the ground, knowing that Frank wouldn't see him in the darkness of the car. Sure enough, Frank got in the car and started it. There was a scrapping noise and light flooded into the car as the garage door opened. As Nick felt the car move, he had a moment of guilt.

Mom had told him to _always_ wear his seat belt in a moving car. _Always._ So he quietly climbed up onto the seat right behind Frank and buckled the seat belt as quietly as possible. Frank just kept driving. Nick relaxed slightly and looked out the window, staying as still as possible, pleased that Frank hadn't noticed him yet.

Maybe he would be a detective like Frank when he grew up.

* * *

"Hello Ms. Drew. How are you?" a deep voice asked as Nancy was pushed into a chair. She tried not to show any unease at the darkness surrounding her. She knew the blindfold was just another way for them to keep her at an inferior position. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it. She thought about saying something but then decided to remain silent.

Out of nowhere, something hit her on the jaw and she reeled back against her chair.

"Answer the boss when he asks you a question!" another voice said angrily. Nancy recognized him as the man who had escorted her from the room.

"Now now, Simon, maybe she's just shy," the deep voice rumbled. "I trust you met your roommate?"

Nancy clenched her jaw at the pointed remark.

"Lance told me about how you have three children of your own. I thought you might enjoy sharing a room with another child." Nancy felt a chill travel down her back. His remark told her that they would be more than willing to threaten the little girl to make her behave.

Nancy closed her eyes, even though she already couldn't see with the blindfold. Risking a child's safety was one thing she wouldn't try. Frank and Joe would just have to work a little harder.

Nancy jumped as she felt a hand run down the side of her face, a light touch. Her stomach clenched.

"You are a beautiful woman. Let's see the rest of your face."

Nancy blinked at the sudden light. A well tanned man stood in front of her. His face had a chiseled quality, and he was quite muscular. They were probably about the same age, and Nancy couldn't help but note he was quite attractive. However his blue eyes were hard and cold, like ice. Nancy tore her gaze from his and looked around. They were in a small room filled with boxes and a desk with a laptop. There was no window.

Nancy gazed evenly at Johnny, hiding her unease as his pale eyes bored into her.

"Yes, a beautiful woman. I can't believe you had three children. It certainly doesn't show."

"Did you bring me here to chat?" Nancy asked dryly. However Johnny just chuckled, straightening his collared shirt.

"I've heard that red-heads are spirited. I suppose it's true. Darling, I just wanted to put you at ease before I ask you a couple questions," he said evenly, pulling a knife out of his pocket and cleaning his nails with it. Simon grinned. Nancy felt her pulse increase slightly, but remained quiet. "It's all you, Simon," Johnny said, glancing at Nancy. "I'll talk with you in a little bit, Ms. Drew."

He left the room, leaving Nancy with Simon who was grinning evilly.

"What do your boyfriend and his brother know about us?" Simon asked.

"I don't know," Nancy told him honestly. "He was a little occupied at the hospital, so we weren't able to chat much."

"What does he know?!" Simon yelled, back handing her. Her vision blurred and she bit back a cry of pain as her lip split open. Nancy took a deep breath and stared at the man in front of her with hatred. People like him were cowards; striking those already down: a bound woman, a child… She was suddenly reminded of her ex husband.

"Don't make me ask again." Simon's dark eyes flickered.

"You already did," Nancy said, knowing it was a stupid thing to say under the circumstances.

A couple minutes later, with blood dripping down her chin from her lip and a bruise forming on her jaw and aching all over, Nancy still didn't regret her words. She knew what kind of man Simon was. He had a temper, and Nancy knew how to deal with that. It was the quiet, scheming ones that scared her. Like Johnny.

"Alright. Your boyfriend will hand over that briefcase for you, we'll pack this place up and leave," Simon growled. "And if you as much as try to come after us, for one thing we'll be gone, and if you do find us, we'll have some fun with your kids."

Nancy's blue eyes flashed.

"If you as much as step towards my children, you will regret it for the rest of your life," she said in a low voice. Simon laughed, but his eyes flickered with unease at the look on Nancy's face.

"You're in no position to guarantee that," he grinned maliciously. Nancy knew he was trying to cover his fear.

"Trust me on this one." Nancy stared steadily at him until he looked away. "Do you like running, Simon? Do you really think you can kill two men and get away with it? Someone will find you eventually."

"Shut up! I didn't even kill them." Simon swore. "With the money we have, we can go wherever we want."

"Illegal drug trafficking is profitable, isn't it?" Nancy asked him. _Maybe I can get some information out of this man instead of vice versa._ The man obviously wasn't too bright; if he were smarter he would have threatened Helen or Penny to make Nancy talk, rather than physical violence. "Tell me; is it your money, or Johnny's? Are you sure he's not going to throw you to the wolves?"

Simon stared at her for a moment. "He wouldn't do that."

"Are you sure?" Nancy goaded him further. Simon's dark eyes narrowed as he thought that over, doubt beginning to play on his features. Suddenly the door opened and Johnny strode in.

"Enough of that," he hissed, slapping Nancy, then turning to Simon. "Come on, let's call her boyfriend and arrange the trade. Once we get that evidence, we can skip town. Got anywhere in mind you want to go?" Johnny smiled at Simon, however his blue eyes glinted dangerously.

"Uh… I've always wanted to see Europe," Simon stuttered.

"Excellent," Johnny clapped the large man on the shoulder and then pulled out a cell phone. "Shall we have a word with Frank Hardy?"

_**Please Review! :D**_


	16. Breakthroughs

_**Happy Monday! Have a nice serving of Situations to Solve to make your day better! :D Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Nick and all the other children are so fun to write and I'm glad you all like them :) It's probably way too much to ask.. but I would really like to get to 200 reviews! So only twelve to go! Please please please review? **_

_**If we don't make it this chapter, no big deal :) You all are amazing!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

Frank hurriedly parked and strode towards the police office back entrance. He ran a hand through his dark hair and paused to type in the security code. Then he ran up the stairs two at a time, making his way to Joe's office. He didn't bother knocking.

"Hey," Joe looked up from his papers. "We got an arrest warrant for Lance. Nancy and Helen's kidnapping has been reported, but I didn't tell them about the briefcase. We don't know if they have another police officer on their side and we can't risk violating their terms."

"Joe, what are we going to do? They think the briefcase has incriminating evidence in it. After all, that's why they killed Theo and Pency. Now they want a trade, and I have a feeling they're not going to let Nan and Helen go," Frank said in a low voice, sitting down across from his brother.

Joe sighed, hating to see his older brother looking so vulnerable. Still, he remained silent, waiting.

"Sounds like they're going to make a run for it once they get the briefcase. There's no guarantee that they'll even play it fair and let Nancy and Helen go." Frank began to pace. "That leaves only one option. We need to find them before the trade."

"We don't have a date or time yet," Joe put in. Frank didn't even seem to hear him, still pacing back and forth in the small room.

"They're probably not based in an office or commercial building. That would make it far too easy to be tracked down if they were found. No, they're probably based in a local home or something. We need to figure out where… They might have a cover going on in the office which signed the medical heroin sheet. We should start there."

Frank's musings were interrupted by his cell phone. He glanced at the caller id and his brow creased.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Hello Frank. Ready to schedule a trade for the briefcase?" It was a deep voice. Frank felt himself go cold. _It's them_ he mouthed to Joe, whose eyes widened.

"I want to know she's okay before we do any negotiations," Frank said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"You have one minute."

"Frank?" Nancy's voice came over the phone.

"Nancy! Are you okay?" Frank asked urgently. "Where are you?"

"I'm okay," Nancy said. "Are the kids alright?"

"They're fine," Frank assured her, concern causing his chest to ache. They could be holding a gun to her head and he wouldn't even know. "Just hang in there, okay?"

"Alright. I'll be here." Frank could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm not going anywhere."

_Hold on_… Was she trying to tell him something?

"Alright, you heard her. She'll be here. Here's the information for the trade…" An address and time where quickly reeled off, and Frank scrambled to write it down. "And listen Frank. Here's how it's going to work. She'll be in the car, and you're going to put the briefcase down and stand back. We'll take it, check the contents. If we're happy, we'll leave your girl in the car and activate a bomb, and you'll have to wait half an hour before you can open the car doors, or else it will blow up. If we discover we're being followed, we'll blow up the car. Let's make this as clean as possible and avoid that. If we're not happy, we're taking the girl back with us. If we find out you've made copies, and we will find out, you will regret it. See you in a couple days."

The call dropped.

Frank swore, his face paling. Quickly he recounted to Joe what the man had told him.

"Shoot. You're right, we have to find them before the trade off," Joe agreed.

"We have less than three days to find them," Frank groaned. "And they didn't even mention Helen."

"Why would they wait that long?" Joe asked, his brow creasing.

"They have an entire operation to pack up. It's going to take them some time," Frank explained absentmindedly. "They need to pull on their contacts, talk to suppliers and customers. If they want to preserve their business, they have to make some preparations before they just up and leave…"

His cell phone rang again, and he glanced at the caller id and recognized the number.

"Dad?"

"Frank, it's Nick. He's missing," Fenton said quickly, his tone thick with worry. Frank's breath caught.

"What? He's gone?"

"We can't find him anywhere. We've looked all over."

Frank swore, panic threatening to well up in his chest. "Do you think they got him as well?" This was the last thing they needed. He recalled his own words to Nancy only a few moments ago. _The kids are fine…_

"I'm praying to God they didn't. He's a small boy, maybe he wandered off…" Fenton trailed off. Frank shook his head.

"No, Nick isn't the wandering type. Maybe…" Frank blinked. "Hold on…" He put down the phone and ran his hand through his hair, beginning to pace. _Where could the six-year-old have possibly gone?_

Suddenly a thought hit Frank. _Was it possible…_ He tossed the phone to Joe and took off, running through the halls of the building and towards the staircase.

"Hey Frank!" a voice called out. "I think you lost something." Frank turned to see Sean heading towards him, holding a small strawberry blond boy by the hand.

"Nick!" Frank gasped, scooping the boy up in an instant. "Thank god!" he exhaled, feeling Nick's solid form in his arms. With the relief came bubbling anger. He put Nick down and knelt in front of him so that they were eye to eye level. "Nick, what were you thinking?" he asked fiercely. _Don't get angry. Don't get angry. _He would leave this to Nancy, since he knew it wasn't really his place to chastise him.

"I wanted to help you and Joe find Mom, so I hid in your car," Nick admitted, hanging his head. Frank raked a hand through his hair, torn between hugging the boy and scolding him. "I'm sorry Frank. Are you mad at me?" Nick looked up at him with wide blue eyes. There was a tiny hint of fear. Frank knew this was a moment to build up more trust.

"No, I'm not mad at you," Frank said gently. "I was very worried though."

"I'm sorry," Nick sighed. "I just wanted to help."

"That's alright sport. Let's go back to Joe and tell him and Grandpa that you're alright. Can you say thank you to Sean?" Frank took Nick's hand, surprised at how natural taking on the parental role felt.

"Thank you Sean!" Nick chirped.

"You're welcome buddy." Sean grinned. "Anytime."

"How did you get into the building?" Frank asked as he walked with Nick back to Joe's office.

"I watched you hit the numbers, and I copied them," Nick said cheerfully. Suddenly his expression fell. "Frank, have you found Mom yet?"

"We're working on it," Frank said, his jaw clenching.

And they only had about three days.

* * *

"Hi Penny," Nancy smiled as she stepped into the room. Penny sat up, her expression brightening slightly. As soon as Simon slammed the door, Nancy began to work on the ropes around her wrists. "Are you okay?" Nancy asked quietly, looking the girl over carefully. She hadn't moved from her perch on the bed.

"They hurt you," Penny said softly. Nancy yanked her hands out of the ropes and tossed them on the ground. She rubbed her wrists as she went to sit on the bed next to the small girl. Penny didn't even shy away as she sat down.

"I'm alright," Nancy smiled as the small girl searched her face. Slowly, carefully, Nancy smoothed the tangled blond hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

Suddenly Penny began crying, tears running down from her dark eyes. Cautiously, Nancy pulled the girl onto her lap. At first Penny tensed, but then relaxed, throwing her arms around Nancy's neck.

"I was scared you would never come back," Penny sobbed. "You're the nicest person I've ever met." Her thin form shook with sobs. Nancy wrapped her arms around the girl, rubbing her back gently like she did whenever one of her children was upset.

"Sweetie, I want to ask you something," Nancy said gently. "Can you answer me honestly?"

Penny nodded tearfully.

"Do the men here hurt you? Do they hit you?" Nancy asked softly.

"Sometimes, when I'm naughty," Penny whispered. "It's my job to clean and cook, but sometimes I don't do it good enough. Then Johnny says I need to be punished and it's my own fault." Penny's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh honey," Nancy sighed, hugging her closer. "It's not your fault. They have no good reason to hurt you. It's not your job to clean and cook for them," she told her firmly, inwardly shaking with anger. _How could people abuse and force a small child to work?_

They were going to jail for this if it was the last thing she did.

"What about food? How often do you get to eat?" Nancy pressed further. She needed to understand the situation.

"It depends on if I'm naughty or not," Penny told her. "Sometimes I have to stay in my room for a long time."

There was a knock on the door, and Penny's face went white with terror.

"Don't leave me!" she cried, clinging to Nancy. "They're going to take you away!"

"Penny, calm down," Nancy said gently, carefully detaching herself from the girl. "I'm going to make you a promise, okay? I will not leave here without you. When I figure out a way to get out of here, or when my friends come, you are going to come with me. I promise," Nancy said firmly.

"Okay," Penny whispered.

Nancy smiled at her, and then allowed Simon to tie her wrists and place the blind fold over her eyes, plunging her back into darkness.

* * *

Helen pulled her knees up to her chest, staring at the blank wall. She didn't know how long she had been locked up in the room. Hours, days… She wasn't exactly sure.

The only thing she was certain of was that she didn't want to go with Charley. She had moved on from him, and was ready to completely leave him behind. But now she wondered if she was even going to have a choice.

Right now she should be at work, carrying steaming plates of food to happy customers. She would go back to the kitchen where Ben would tease her and make her laugh.

Suddenly the door opened, and a young woman was pushed in.

"You two have ten minutes," a man called, slamming the door.

"Nancy!" Helen jumped up from the bed and pulled the blindfold from her friend's face. Quickly she attacked the ropes.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked, hugging her friend tightly as soon as the knots gave way. Helen swallowed painfully and stared at the bruises on Nancy's jaw and arms. There was blood on her light blue shirt, probably from her lip, which had split open.

"Nancy, oh my god, they hurt you…" Helen whispered.

"It's not too bad. It looks like somebody went after you too," Nancy's blue eyes were full of concern.

"I'm fine. Nancy, Charley is involved with this after all," she told her. "He's going to take me away… He's the one who killed those men to repay his debts to the drug dealers."

"Don't worry, we'll get away before the trade off. They're offering my life in exchange for the briefcase. I don't think they'll follow through, not with everything I know. So we just have to figure out a way to get out of here," Nancy said determinedly. However doubt crept into her features. "I have a little girl that we're bringing with us when we get out of here." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know what we're going to do…"

"I trust you," Helen said softly, touching Nancy's arm. "Why are they letting us see each other?" she wondered. "It seems kind of nice."

"It's to show that we're both here and okay. They'll probably use my life to make you behave, and vice versa," Nancy said grimly. "I counted; your room is about twenty steps from mine. I'll start thinking of a way to escape. But our best bet is probably Frank and Joe."

"Do you think they'll be able to find us?" Helen asked, her eyes widening. Nancy glanced away, her hair falling into her face.

"If anybody can, it's them."

_**Please Review!**_


	17. Time is Ticking

_**Good thing we have a generator! Otherwise this chapter would not be up for a couple days! A big winter storm came through my area, it's beautiful, but our poor trees have taken some heavy hits. So here's the next chapter!**_

_**Thank you for the reviews! We are at over 200! You all are amazing!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Please?" Nick clasped his hands and looked up pleadingly at Frank.

Frank exchanged a look with Joe. On one hand, keeping the boy with them would mean he would have two trained experts watching him.

On the other hand, they might be going into danger.

Joe looked unsure as he strapped his gun into his belt.

There was absolutely no way he could bring Nancy's son into potential danger. But Frank also knew that Nick was like Nancy; if he could do something to help, he wouldn't be so upset at the situation.

He considered for a moment. But only a moment.

"No, Nick, it might be dangerous. What would I say to your mom if you got hurt?" Frank shivered at the thought. "She's already going to be upset that you stowed away in my car."

Nick's face fell and his blue eyes swam with tears.

"I could explain it to her when we find her," he suggested tremulously.

"I'm sorry Nick, but we might be there for hours. It'll be kind of boring, to be honest," Joe ruffled the boy's hair.

Joe had a point, Frank agreed silently. He would like to think that the stake-out at the office would be exciting, but it was more likely than not that they would reap nothing for their efforts.

"Let's call Aunt Vanessa and see if she can get Grandma or Grandpa to drive you home," Joe said firmly, pulling out his cell phone.

"Okay, Uncle Joe," Nick sighed, and began playing with some of Joe's trinkets on his desk as Joe talked to Vanessa.

"She's on her way," Joe told Frank.

"Uncle Joe? Aunt Vanessa? When did that start?" Frank raised his eyebrows. Joe shrugged.

"We decided to follow Mom and Dad's lead after they had Nancy's kids start to call them Grandma and Grandpa," he explained, tucking a small hand held radio into his jacket. "If we waited for you to marry Nancy before switching names, the kids would be all grown up," Joe teased.

"Ha ha. Funny," Frank said dryly, checking that his gun was loaded and the safety switch was activated. His fingers brushed against the velvet ring box that was still nestled in his jacket pocket, all his doubts flooding back. After being kidnapped because of his case, would Nancy still be interested in him at all? Callie had hated it, although she had never explicitly blamed him for it.

Deep down, Frank knew that it was his own insecurities talking. Nancy had made her feelings for him perfectly clear. She wasn't a woman to give something up because of potential danger. No, Nancy would most definitely still want him.

Frank shut out any morbid thoughts about Nancy's safety and forced himself to think optimistically. He gripped the box tightly in his hand. As soon as they found Nancy, he was going to tell her how much he loved her. And maybe, if the time felt right, he might ask her a special question.

"Alright buddy, let's go see if your aunt is here," Frank said, lifting the boy up onto his shoulders. Nick laughed and wrapped his arms around Frank's head. "Promise me to be good for Grandma and Grandpa and Vanessa?" Frank asked Nick, ducking under a low doorway.

"Okay. But you have to promise me something too," Nick said.

"What's that?"

"That you'll find Mom," Nick said softly. "I know you can find her and Helen. So could you try to do it soon? I miss her."

Frank gently lifted Nick down, finding Vanessa waiting outside her car.

"Alright. I'll do my best," Frank promised.

"Okay. See you later, Frank!" Nick hugged Frank then scrambled into Vanessa's car.

"He's doing great," Frank told Vanessa softly. "I was expecting him to be freaking out, especially with all the recent separation anxiety, but he's actually pretty calm."

"I think he trusts that you'll bring his mother back," Vanessa said softly, lightly touching his arm before hurrying to the car.

Frank watched the van drive off, then turned and strode into the police headquarters with new determination.

* * *

"Frank, are you in position?" Joe whispered into his ear piece, casually taking a drink from his cup of coffee. Lucky for him, there was a coffee shop conveniently placed right in front of the medical heroin center. As Frank had suspected, they couldn't find anything explicitly wrong with the happenings in the building. "Frank?"

"Yeah, I've got the back entrance covered," Frank said.

Joe took a bite of his scone.  
"You know, when I was talking to Nancy, I think she was trying to tell me something," Frank said.

"Really? Like her location?" Joe said excitedly.

"No, not that. She said she wasn't going anywhere," Frank mused. "I think she was trying to tell me that she wasn't going to try to escape."  
"Wait, Nancy?" Joe's brow creased.

"Maybe they're threatening Helen. Either way, it means it's up to us."

Joe heard the heavy worry in his brother's tone. He loved Nancy like a sister and was crazy worried. But he couldn't even imagine how he would feel if it was Vanessa in danger. The case was definitely taking its toll on his big brother, and Joe had to remind himself that the best way to solve a conflict was not always to beat up someone.

However, Joe couldn't see how it would hurt.

"Joe?" Frank's voice came out of the ear piece and Joe nearly dropped his scone. _That was close, _he thought, quickly finishing the pastry before he had another chance to drop it.

"Myeah?" he mumbled through a full mouth.

"Are you eating?" Frank sighed resignedly. Joe swallowed and drank some coffee.

"Just finished."

"Okay, at the back entrance I have a young man entering through the back door with a medium sized box."

Joe glanced out the window and watched a middle aged man walk up to the building.

"Middle aged male entering the front, empty handed going into the front entrance," he reported.

* * *

Frank watched the young man come out without the box, and he put down the book he was pretending to read.

"Joe, young man has exited empty handed. I can't see him too well because of the distance, but he has dark hair and looks very fit. Okay… he's getting into a car now."

"Are you going to follow?"

"Yes." Frank started the car. Carefully he watched where the car was going and began to follow.

"How's your head? Be careful."

"Thanks and it's fine," Frank said, making sure to stay a good ways away from the silver car he was following. He sped up slightly to make it through a orange light. Soon they were heading out of town and into the suburbs. Frank tried to keep more distance as they entered a neighborhood, certain that it was becoming fairly obvious that he was following.

The silver car slowed and pulled into a driveway. Frank mentally remembered the number, and then drove by.

"Hey Joe, I got a number. 8358 Ash Drive. Although I suppose it could be one of the houses in that area. It looked pretty average, nothing very notable. It looked like it didn't have a ton of windows."

"Could be the nest. We're going to need more info though before we make any moves," Joe said. "Think they spotted you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Let's keep watching the office. If anyone else goes from the office to that house…"

"And… I think I have an idea to get some more information…" Frank said hesitantly.

"What?"

"Well… I don't think you're going to like it…"

* * *

"Alright, see, you pull this part of hair over this part, and then grab this piece at the back and pull it forward," Nancy instructed. She was sitting on the bed with Penny snuggled up at her side. She had braided the little girl's blond hair into two tight braids, and was working on teaching her how to braid.

"Oh…" Penny pulled on some strands of Nancy's hair, her small fingers fumbling to complete the correct motions. "I think I got it!" Penny squealed.

"Good job!" Nancy beamed. "Are you getting sleepy?" she asked as Penny braided her hair. She wasn't sure exactly what time it was without her cell phone and watch, but she felt it was probably getting later.

"No," Penny shook her head. "Well, maybe a little bit," she admitted. Suddenly a key scraped in the lock of the door. Penny froze as Simon stumbled into the room.

"You. Johnny wants a word," Simon gestured to Penny. Nancy stood up.

"She stays here with me," Nancy said softly, crossing her arms.

"No, she comes with me," Simon growled, his words slurring slightly. Nancy recognized the smell of alcohol on him.

"Don't come any closer," Nancy warned, glancing swiftly at Penny who was cowering on the bed.

"I can do what I want!" Simon yelled, lunging at her. Nancy side stepped him, kicking the back of his knee, causing him to collapse with a shout of pain. She swiftly punched him, hard, at the pressure point at the back of his neck, causing him to fall limply to the ground.

Suddenly Nancy was aware just a moment too late of someone else entering the room. Her head spun as she was roughly slammed against the wall. The click of a gun being cocked made her freeze, and she stared into the ice cold eyes of Johnny.

His pale eyes were burning with cruel anger, and she felt the cold barrel of the gun against her temple. She tried not to flinch as Johnny raised a hand and slowly stroked her hair.

"Such a large temper for a beautiful woman," he murmured, the gun still pressing against her head.

"Such a cowardly attitude for a powerful man," Nancy said softly.

The blow was expected, but Nancy was surprised at the strength of it. Falling to her knees trying to fill her lungs with air again, she was grateful Johnny hadn't aimed for her face. If he had, she would be spitting out teeth. Gasping for breath, Nancy glared up at Johnny, who had a murderous expression on his face.

"Does punching a woman while you hold a gun to her head make you feel more manly?" she asked him quietly.

Johnny pointed the gun at her, his hand quivering slightly. The rage in his expression was almost frightening, jumping out beyond his blue eyes and features until it seemed to consume his entire face. Nancy had wondered what kind of man Johnny was, and now she knew. He was a man who stored all of his anger away, but when it broke loose was unable to control it.

Nancy gazed back at him steadily. The urge to say something rose, but she pushed it back, reminding herself she had three children waiting for her to come home. The look in his eyes told her he would not hesitate to shoot her.

"Don't hurt her!" Penny cried, climbing off the bed.

"Penny, stay back," Nancy said, alarm creeping into her voice as Johnny's pale eyes flickered towards the little girl.

Suddenly Johnny seemed to master his anger, and his face took on a blank calm look that was somehow more frightening.

"As you wish, Ms. Drew. The girl will stay here. But I believe you will be better suited somewhere else."

_**Please review! :D**_


	18. Situations to Solve

_**Ahh running late to something, but wanted to post this before I leave! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! And thanks for reading! I think Helen's part is my favorite part of this chapter!**_

_**Please review! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys!**_

"Absolutely not," Joe crossed his arms.

"Alright. I'll do it Frank." Vanessa nodded.

"What?" Joe turned to Vanessa. "No. This is too dangerous. Have someone else do it." Joe glared at Frank.

"No, I'll do it," Vanessa insisted.

"Vanessa, no," Joe hissed.

"Joe, Nancy is like my sister. If I have a chance to help, I'm taking it. You know I know the risks. But what about Nancy? In all honesty, if we don't get her out of there before the trade off, they might kill her," Vanessa's grey eyes filled with determination.

"Joe, if there was any other way, I would take it. But I think Vanessa is our best chance. None of the police officers have met her yet and..." Frank trailed off.

"And what? She's beautiful?" Joe asked bitterly.

"She looks innocent," Frank finished. "They won't expect anything from her."

"So she's going to seduce them for information?!" Joe's voice rose, and his blue eyes flashed. "Let's just have her play prostitute while we're at it. Yeah, great idea!"

"I didn't say anything about that," Frank frowned. "She's just going to pretend to be a door to door solicitor..."

"Oh yeah? What's she going to be soliciting?" Joe's volume rose even further.

"Joe, it sounds like a safe plan," Vanessa said calmly, taking Joe's hand. "And if something happens, you two will be right there. This is for Nancy and Helen."

"What if..." Joe drew her closer, his eyes burning into hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running a hand through his thick blond hair.

"I... um... need to get a drink..." Frank coughed and practically fled the room.

_Really subtle, Frank..._ Vanessa thought then turned to her husband.

"Vanessa, the baby," Joe whispered. She had known he would say that.

"I know you and Frank are used to people being kidnapped," Vanessa said, pulling out of his embrace. "And you're used to things being alright in the end. But Joe, most people who are kidnapped are killed." Tears pooled in her grey eyes. "Joe, do you seriously want to get a call saying they've found a body?"

Joe's face paled. "Vanessa, they're not going to kill them…"

"You can't ensure that. I will do everything I can to make sure Nancy and Helen get home safely. I want to do my part. Joe, why are you so against this? It's safe, and it will help us find Nancy and Helen!" Vanessa's brow furrowed.

Joe was silent, looking past her, a haunted expression on his face.

"It's Iola, isn't it?" Vanessa said softly. She knew Joe had made his peace with his teenage girlfriend's death, but it was a scar that would never quite fade.

"Vanessa, if I let you get wrapped up in this mess…" Joe turned away.

"Joe, you can't protect me from all danger. Just like we can't shield Ivan or this coming baby from the world forever," Vanessa whispered, putting her hand on his arm.

"I know. I'm just…" Joe pulled her close and pressed his face against her silky blonde hair.

"Just what?" Vanessa asked, leaning her head against his chest.

"Scared," Joe said softly.

"I know. I am too," Vanessa murmured. Joe's strong arms tightened around her, and she felt his lips on her forehead. She turned her face to meet them with her own.

"Let's go talk to Frank," Vanessa said when they finally broke apart.

"Not yet," Joe mumbled, reaching for her.

"We can kiss later," Vanessa told him. "We should get to bed anyways, it's late." She turned and saw the look on his face. "Get to bed and _sleep,_" she clarified.

Joe pouted but followed her out the door.

* * *

Helen stared up at the pressing darkness around her. She just couldn't sleep, even though her body was telling her it was very late. It had been maybe an hour or two since she had heard the yelling in the other room. Instinctively she knew it was Nancy's room.

Now, sick with worry, Helen was curled up on the pathetic little bed in her prison room, unable to do anything but try to hold back her tears. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. But part of her was afraid that it was only beginning. Charley was going to drag her away. What was she supposed to do? Fight back and get hurt? Give in?

No, no, not give in. She could decide on that.

She had never really thought her life was going that well while living with Nancy; Helen was keenly aware that she was a single woman in her late twenties with no college degree and a job as a waitress with zero family around her. But now as she looked back, she realized the value of that time. And maybe she didn't have any blood-related family interested in her, but she had Nancy and the Hardys.

Suddenly Ben's image flashed into her mind; his green eyes and tousled light brown hair and huge smile. If he were here, he would tell her all his wild plans for his own restaurant and all the crazy dishes he would make up when he had enough money saved up from being head cook. She had taken his friendship for granted. Briefly she wondered if he missed her at work.

Suddenly Helen sat up as the door creaked open.

Charley.

"Sweetie, are you awake?" Sure enough it was his voice, low and husky.

"Don't come closer!" Helen whispered into the darkness. She could barely make out his form. He stopped.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He sounded slightly injured, as if affronted by her words. "I'm sorry Helen. I didn't mean to bring you into all this."

Helen clenched her fists at his apologetic tone. He always came to her like this, sweet and sensitive, apologizing for what he did. He would make her buckle, convincing her he had changed. She would enjoy his company and push aside her doubts, not wanting to be lonely. But when the next day came, she would be hurt all over again.

How easy would it be to just fall into his arms? She knew him. They were married. She had some of her happiest moments with him.

_Enough is enough,_ a quiet voice in her mind whispered. She took a deep breath.

"No. Leave me alone," Helen said quietly.

"Helen, please don't be mad at me. You know I was only doing what I had to…" His hand touched her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Helen drew back. "I swear, I will scream and wake up everybody in this house," she said shakily. It was quiet for a moment, and Helen could hear his heavy breathing.

"What has Nancy done to you?" he hissed. He swore.

Suddenly Helen felt very clear headed.

"She showed me what freedom is like."

* * *

"Johnny should have killed her. She has been nothing but trouble. Don't expect to see your friend again. We've almost got the whole operation packed up. And once we do, we're out of here without a second glance," Charley said in a low voice.

"What… what about the briefcase?" Helen asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You really think Johnny cares about that thing? He knows there isn't really anything in there. He just needed something for those stupid investigators to focus on while he packs up the operation. They think they're going to get their precious redhead back, but Johnny has zero plans on that. If they knew he wasn't planning on trading her back, they would completely freak out and go to extreme measures. Smart man, that Johnny."

Helen felt a chill travel up her back.

"Are you going to add a third murder to your list?" she asked quietly. Despair was washing over her like a tidal wave. Suddenly her own fate seemed trivial. As far as she knew, her life wasn't in danger. _Frank, you need to come! You need to get here soon!_

"Trust me, it won't be me," Charley chuckled darkly, leaving the room.

Once she was certain he was definitely gone, Helen curled up on the bed and desperately tried to think of what she could do to get them out of this mess.

Unfortunately, not much was coming to mind.

* * *

So maybe taunting Johnny had been a sort of bad idea. Okay, maybe it was a really bad idea. Nancy sighed and tugged at the ropes holding her wrists above her head. The small space around her wasn't really bothering her; she wasn't very claustrophobic. But having her hands tied above her head to a coat rack was driving her crazy. She probably should have just kept her mouth shut. But people who abused their power made her furious. And letting an innocent child go into danger was not an option. Of course, now that child was undefended.

Briefly her thoughts flickered to Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy and she bit her lip. At least they were safe. But she missed them so much. _Frank will keep them safe._ Somehow Nancy trusted that they would be okay. The realization actually came as a surprise.

She trusted Frank explicitly, enough to feel that her children were as safe as possible with him.

And suddenly a wave of emotion washed over her. She missed Frank, almost as much as her children. She wanted to see his slow smile and sparkling brown eyes, feel his strong arms around her.

He was probably going crazy with worry.

Nancy sighed and twisted her wrists. Her charm bracelet was useless, tucked in her pocket. She stood on her tiptoes for a moment, relieving her arms of some pressure. How long had she been like this? She had dozed off a couple times, and her hands and arms were almost completely numb, prickling slightly when she moved them. It was probably morning. A hollow pang in her stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten in almost twenty four hours. Or drunken, for that matter. The gag in her dry mouth was becoming unbearable.

Suddenly she heard the sound of knocking. She was near a door!

"I'll get it. Probably some stupid solicitor," a muffled voice called out. Nancy stood totally still, straining to hear. The door opened, and Nancy faintly recognized Simon's gruff voice.

A woman's voice responded. Nancy couldn't make out what they were saying, but something about her tone sounded familiar. She knew that voice…

_Vanessa!_

Nancy's eyes widened. What should she do? The last thing she wanted to do was make Simon suspicious of Vanessa and put her in danger. Why was she here?

That meant Frank and Joe were probably just around the corner! Nancy came to a swift decision. She kicked her leg out against the solid wooden door and was rewarded with a loud thump. The conversation between Simon and Vanessa halted for a second. And then Simon's voice filled the silence with rushed words.

After a couple moments, the door closed, leaving Nancy wondering if Vanessa had heard her.

_**Please review! You are amazing! :)**_


	19. The Dice Are Cast

_**PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE, IMPORTANT INFO!**_

_**Okay, you are all going to be mad at me. But the story might be going on hold for a couple days. I really need to work on my ending, and my upcoming week is crazy. The next chapter will be up by the latest on Thursday. You all can survive that long, right? :) Please leave any comments/suggestions in a review! So sorry for any upsetness over this. In the end, it is for the good of the story. And my sanity.**_

_**Thanks for the wonderful reviews! They always make me happy and encouraged!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"I think we found the house," Vanessa said into her speaker, her heart racing. She clutched her clipboard in her arms, her notes on the supposed shopping interest of those she interviewed written down.

"Really?" Frank's voice came into her earpiece, a controlled calm.

"I talked to a young man, dark hair, dark eyes. He seemed happy to talk to me…"

"He was probably admiring your figure," Joe put in grumpily. Vanessa knew it was probably true, but chose to ignore that.

"That matches the description of the man I followed from the office," Frank said excitedly.

"I asked him all my questions, he stood in the doorway, and I couldn't see much. But suddenly there was a loud thump from the other room. He seemed very nervous, and told me he had to go. Hold on, I need to go up to this house so they don't suspect that I'm not actually a door to door person."

Vanessa walked up the next house and rang the doorbell. Nobody answered. She waited a couple more minutes, then turned around and started walking to the next house.

"So you think that was the house?" Frank asked, continuing their past discussion.

"Yes. Maybe that was Nancy." Vanessa felt a strong conviction. Something was odd at that house, how the man had reacted...

"We don't have enough evidence to go in," Frank said slowly.

"To hell with that. We could just go in anyways," Joe growled. "We could say we had an anonymous tip or something."

"That would be lying," Frank said, and Vanessa could almost hear the frown in his voice.

"Frank, for god's sake, we're talking about Nancy and Helen's lives!" Joe's voice rose.

"You think I don't know that?" Frank's voice rose as well. "Do you think I wouldn't do everything I can to help Nancy? It's just if we mess up, we could be putting her into even more danger!"

"Guys, calm down," Vanessa hissed. "Everybody's stressed. We don't have to decide right now."

"Vanessa," Frank's voice was laced with intensity. "How sure are you that they were there?"

Vanessa gulped, closing her eyes briefly. She knew her words would greatly impact Frank's decision. Sudden doubt flooded her. This was crazy. They had no way of knowing that Nancy and Helen were being held hostage there. All they had was a weak trail of clues and intuitions. But they only had a day and a half. There was no time to back track and make sure things were absolutely certain. If Frank and Joe broke into the wrong house, they might end up in jail, as the worst possibility. But if they didn't find Nancy and Helen, they could end up with two funerals. She arrived at a conclusion.

"Vanessa?"

"Frank, I think this is our best shot."

"You do realize we don't have a search warrant." Frank's voice was dead serious.

"I know," Joe said quietly. "Vanessa we're coming around the corner to pick you up."

The dice were cast.

* * *

Frank paced back and forth in his borrowed room at Joe and Vanessa's house. Should they really be taking this risk? What if they were wrong?

The ringing of a phone interrupted his thoughts. He glanced to his bedside table. It was Nancy's phone ringing. After he had found it, people had been periodically calling it.

"Hello?" Frank asked wearily.

"Hi, is this Benjamin Leo, is this Nancy's phone?" a young man asked.

"Yes, it is, but she's not here."

"Do you know how I could get in touch with her? I haven't been able to get a hold of Helen and I thought Nancy might know where she is. She's my coworker at the restaurant. She hasn't shown up and isn't picking up her phone," Benjamin's voice had an edge of panic. Frank took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, but neither of them is available."

"Do you know where she is?!" Benjamin asked. The concern in his voice made Frank feel horrible. He made a sudden decision.

"Benjamin, you can't tell anybody this, but Helen and Nancy were abducted around two days ago. We're working on finding them."

"Oh my god…" Benjamin whispered. "She has to be okay. Oh god… This can't be happening. You have to find her, please!"

"I have to go. We're doing our best," Frank said grimly.

He put down the phone, and raked his hand through his hair. Joe appeared in the doorway.

"Almost ready?" he asked. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt. Frank knew he had bullet vest underneath his clothes and a gun tucked into his belt.

"Are you sure about this?" Frank asked miserably. Joe stepped into the room.

"No. But there have been a lot of things I have been less sure of and did anyways. You know me, headlong into trouble without a second thought," he grinned.

"I don't know. You've become a lot more mature since you became a daddy," Frank said, feeling his mood lighten.

"C'mon. We've thought this through so many times. Enough thinking. Time for some action," Joe said, clapping him on the back. "We've done the research. All the signs are pointing to this house.

"You do realize we will probably lose our jobs."  
Joe turned to face Frank. "You know we have no other options. We don't have time to get a warrant, and getting others involved will only make the operation more complicated. There's no way the chief will let us break into a house without certain proof. And we don't know if Lance has cameras set up or if they have another contact in the field. The best thing is to get this over with, then face the punishment."

Frank pulled on a black sweatshirt over his bullet proof vest and nodded at Joe.

"Let's do it then."

* * *

Helen had a plan.

It was kind of lame, and she was fairly sure it wouldn't work. But it was worth a try. As the room went dark, Helen waited for her husband to come. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the door creaked open.

Helen took a deep breath and stood up.

"Charley, get out of here," she said in as loud of a voice as she could muster.

He swore and she felt herself being swung into the wall. This time she fought back, landing a solid kick on his shin. He cried out and let out a string of curses.

"You whore!" he growled, aiming blindly in the darkness.

"Get away from me!" Helen yelled.

"Shut up!"

They tussled in the darkness, Helen having the advantage of nimbleness. However, she was eventually cornered. At the first blow, she groaned and forced her body to go limp. After a couple minutes of spending his fury, Charley stormed out of the room.

Helen sat up, shaking. _Please let it have worked!_ she prayed as she slowly approached the door. Carefully she twisted the handle, and felt a huge wave of relief when it opened.

In his anger, as Helen had hoped, Charley had forgotten to lock the door behind him. Helen pulled the door closed and leaned against the door, still in her room, not sure what to do. She wasn't like Nancy. She was scared to the core. She didn't want to be caught.

If Nancy was here, she would tell her to wait until everyone was asleep. But how the heck was she supposed to know when that was?

What if someone came to check on her and locked the door while she was waiting?

Finally Helen pulled the door open and tiptoed into the hall, her heart beat pounding in her ears. She looked around. It was dark. She didn't know where she was going. Panic crept into her throat and she choked back tears of sheer confusion. She took a step left, and continued that way, barely feeling her feet touch the ground.

The floor creaked slightly, causing her to freeze, her heart beat rising in a crescendo until it seemed to be the only noise.

Helen forced herself forward, fighting the crushing fear. She arrived at a door and stood in front of it for a few seconds. Then slowly she tried the handle. It was locked. But was this even Nancy's room?

She leaned a ear against the wood and heard nothing. Wait… She thought she heard a faint sniffling noise- like a small child crying.

Suddenly Helen noticed a key hanging on a hook by the door.

No way. That was way too easy. If anyone wanted to keep Nancy locked up, they would wear the key around their neck and never let it out of their sight.

Still, she reached for the key.

Creeping into the room, she met the gaze of a small girl. For a moment the both stared at each other.

"Are you Nancy's friend?" the girl whispered.

"Yes, where is she?" Helen asked softly.

"I don't know, they took her away," the girl started crying. Helen gripped the door frame for support. _Oh my god, they couldn't have killed her. Please, no!_

That explained why the key was hanging outside the door.

What was she going to do now?

_**Please remember the next update will not be until Thursday! **_

_**Also, pretty please leave a review! :)**_


	20. An Eventful Night

_**Okay I'm back! This chapter isn't the best, but hopefully you'll like it anyways! :) Please leave a review, I could use encouragement and suggestions!**_

_**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

_**This story will still have chapters coming, it's not over yet! :)**_

_**I think this is my favorite scene of Nick's 3**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Helen said she heard a thump to the right," Joe said softly.

"I'll check it out," Frank whispered, making his way through what seemed to be a living room. Empty beer cans were scattered on the ground, along with various food wrappers. He arrived at a small closet and pulled it open. It held several coats and some brooms.

He moved on, reaching out to another closet door. Locked. Frank pulled out his lock pick set and quickly picked the lock.

He clicked on his light and nearly cried out when he saw Nancy's limp form. He touched her cheek and her blue eyes flew open, full of alarm.

"Hold on," Frank whispered, pulling the gag off her mouth. His heart was pounding wildly and his blood was beginning to simmer as he saw the bruises on her. Someone was going to pay for this. Nancy weakly spit the material out.

"Hey," she whispered. Frank grabbed his knife and gently cut through the ropes around her wrists and the coat rack. Her arms fell limply to her sides and she stumbled slightly against Frank. He wordlessly held her in his embrace.

"Helen," Nancy whispered. Frank nodded.

"Joe," he hissed. "I found Nancy."  
Joe appeared beside them, nodding.

"Do you think you can get to the car?" Joe asked quietly.

"Yes, but I'm coming with you," Nancy said.

"Nancy!" Frank hissed.

"We don't have time to argue about this!" Nancy whispered. "She's upstairs, come on!" She motioned at the stairway. Joe shrugged as if to say _she's your girlfriend,_ and started up the stairs.

"Nancy," Frank whispered, catching her arm. She turned, her blue eyes burning into his.

"Frank, there's a little girl up there I promised I would help," she said softly. "I am not breaking that promise." Then she turned and followed Joe.

* * *

"Alright, come with me," Helen whispered to the girl.

The girl shook her head and backed up slowly.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Helen said quietly. "We're going to go find Nancy. But we have to be really quiet."

Slowly the girl followed her out of the room and into the hall. Helen crept down the dark stretch when suddenly somebody reached out and grabbed her.

A firm hand covered her mouth and Helen felt all her panic return.

"Helen, it's Joe," a voice whispered, and a light clicked on. Helen stopped struggling and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Nancy…" she whispered, in shock.

They were actually going to make it out of this.

"I'm right here." Nancy pushed past Joe. "We have to get out of here, Joe take Helen out. Where's Penny?"

"C'mon," Joe whispered, grabbing Helen's hand. "We'll call the cops, let's go!" he said urgently. "Meet you at the car. We don't have the equipment to take these guys down."

"Go!" Nancy whispered, moving past them.

"Nancy, let's go!" Frank whispered, taking her hand. "We'll let the cops take it from here."

"No, I have to find Penny!"

"Nancy!" a little girl's voice called out.

Suddenly the light flicked on and Nancy stared at the foreboding figure of Johnny. One hand was on Penny's shoulder. The other held a gun.

* * *

"The police are on their way. Make this easier for yourself," Nancy said slowly.

"Don't move," Johnny said in a dangerous voice. Nancy stopped. Johnny's face was pale and his dark eyes were burning with an almost crazed look.

Penny was looking at her pleadingly.

"Listen to her," Frank stepped forward. "You're only going to dig your hole deeper."

"Don't move!" Johnny yelled, pointing the gun at Frank.

"Listen. My brother called the police, they're on their way. Do you really think that killing a police officer's brother will win you any points?" Frank asked calmly.

"I'm already far enough into this that one more death won't make a difference," Johnny said, his face pale. Nancy slowly moved closer as his attention was focused on Frank.

"What about your daughter?" Nancy asked suddenly. "Let her go. You can't shoot her."

"I can if I want. And she's the perfect hostage to get me out of here."

"Then why are you hesitating?" Nancy asked quietly. "Why are you still here?"

"Shut up!" Johnny took a deep breath, his grip on Penny's shoulder tightening. Nancy and Frank exchanged a swift glance. The stress was clearly causing Johnny to lose it.

"Listen, we'll give you a head start. Just let the girl go," Frank said. Johnny stared at Frank, a slow trickle of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Suddenly Nancy leapt forward and kicked the hand holding the gun. It went clattering onto the floor. Frank surged forward and Nancy grabbed Penny and picked her up.

"Get out her out of here!" Frank yelled, tackling Johnny who was grappling for the gun on the ground.

The wail of sirens could be heard in the distance.

A gunshot rang out and someone shouted. Penny was sobbing, burying her head in Nancy's shoulder as they ran down the stairs. A police officer broke open the door as she reached it, and she recognized him as one of Joe's coworkers.

"Upstairs!" she told him. He rushed past her, taking out his gun, several other officers rushing past her.

"Nancy!" Sean grabbed her arms. "Are you okay?"

He tried to take Penny from her arms, but the girl clung to Nancy.

"Frank," Nancy said faintly.  
"Come on," Sean guided her outside.

"Nancy!" Joe ran up and wrapped Nancy in a hug. "Are you hurt?"

Nancy shook her head, stroking Penny's hair. The girl was sobbing into her shoulder still.

"Frank," she whispered, turning to look at the house. She could hear cops yelling and the lights were flicking on. Behind her, the air was flashing from the lights of the police cars.

Nancy felt like her world was spinning. There had been a gunshot. She should have stayed and helped. No, no, she should not have. Getting Penny out of there had to be her first priority.

"Worried about me?"

Nancy spun around.

Frank was standing there, a small smile on his lips. He stepped towards her and she put Penny down. Within a second his arms were around her.

"The gunshot?' Nancy mumbled into Frank's shirt.

"Missed," he whispered, tightening his embrace. Nancy gasped softly and drew back slightly. "What?" Frank asked with alarm.

"Hit a sore spot, I'm fine," Nancy said quickly.

"I'm sorry," Frank whispered. He couldn't see her clearly in the darkness. Nancy glanced down at Penny who was hugging her leg.

"What now?" she asked quietly.

Frank wrapped his arm around her. "We let the cops take it from here and go home."

* * *

Aunt Vanessa thought he was asleep, but Nick was wide awake. He turned slightly, glancing at Zoe who was sleeping next to him. She looked sad. Lizzy had been sad too. She had cried a lot, and Aunt Vanessa was tired and sick. Grandma and Grandpa were also acting strangely; they were definitely upset. Nick heaved a sigh and turned onto his other side.

He knew exactly why. It was because his mom was missing. He wanted her back. Sometimes he almost would cry about it, but then he would remember Frank's promise. Besides, he didn't think his mom would want him to be sad. But sometimes he just couldn't help it.

Tonight was the night, Nick decided. Frank and Uncle Joe were gone, and everybody else was worried. Sometime was definitely happening this night.

It was dark, and the clock in the room said 1:38. Nick had never been up that late. He hadn't even known that there was a one o'clock in the morning! But he couldn't sleep.

Finally Nick slipped out of bed, careful not to wake up Lizzy and Zoe. He glanced at them protectively, hesitating at the door. What if they woke up and needed him? With his mom gone, he needed to take care of them. However, his curiosity drove him out the door and into the faintly lit hall. Nick felt a thrill of excitement. Maybe he was the only one in the whole house awake!

Quietly he tiptoed down the stairs, and as he went down he made up a story for himself. Maybe his mom was waiting in the kitchen! She would be with Frank, and they would be laughing. She would be on her way upstairs to say hello to them, only pausing to bring them some cookies, and she would hug them and tell them how much she loved them. And he would tell her how he took care of Lizzy and Zoe and was good for Aunt Vanessa and Grandma and Grandpa, and she would tell him she was so proud of him.

Nick ran into the kitchen, and stopped dead as he saw it was empty. He had almost believed his own story. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he just stood in the empty dark kitchen, not sure what to do.

Suddenly there was the sound of the door opening.

Nick tiptoed to the doorway and watched as the door opened. First came Joe, looking tired but satisfied. Then came Frank, and then...

"MOM!" Nick yelled, running towards her. She was carrying a sleeping girl in her arms, but as soon as she saw Nick, she passed the girl to Frank and held out her arms for him. He sprinted into them, happiness bursting in his chest as her arms wrapped around him.

**_Aww... Nick 3_**

**_Please review!_**


	21. Thinking About the Future

_**I ALMOST FORGOT TO LEAVE AN AUTHOR'S NOTE!**_

_**That would have been horrible. I mean, seriously, it would have ruined the entire chapter. So, you all narrowly escaped certain doom because I remembered at the last minute.  
**_

_**Thanks to the wonderful reviewers, as well as all you reading!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

_**Oh yes, I forgot to put this in the first time around... There will be more to this story! It's not over yet! :D There's just too much goodness that would be missed if we stopped now :)**_

Frank watched as Nancy picked Nick up, hugging him tightly. Even as Vanessa and his parents appeared, she didn't put him down. Nick had his arms around her neck, looking sleepily happy, and talking continuously.

Penny stirred in his arms, and Frank glanced down at her. Her blonde hair was starting to fall out of the two braids it had been in. He shifted her slightly, frowning. She was far too small for her age, and her form felt small and fragile in his arms.

They would probably be meeting with a social worker the next day, but had managed to bring Penny home. Frank was glad for that, and he felt a growing protectiveness to the small girl as he watched her sleep in his arms.

His gaze switched back to Nancy, and he saw that her arms holding Nick were shaking slightly. He knew she was in pain, but not showing it.  
"Come on, Nan and Helen are exhausted. Let's go to bed," Frank said. Immediately everybody agreed. Frank followed Nancy up the stairs, and waited outside the bedroom as she put Nick back to bed.

"Let me take her," Nancy said softly, reaching out to take Penny. "All the bedrooms are full..."

"How about the sofa downstairs?" Frank whispered. Nancy paused to consider, then nodded. Quickly Frank grabbed some sheets and blankets and they headed downstairs. Frank set up the bed quickly, and Nancy gently tucked the girl in. She barely stirred.

"She must be exhausted," Nancy said softly, moving into the kitchen. Frank flicked on the light and noticed that she was trembling slightly. His gaze drifted to the bruises and split lip.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, wrapping his arms around her. She sighed and leaned back against him.

"I am now."

"When I found you in the closet..." Frank trailed off, the horrible image flashing in his mind. He shuddered. "I thought you were dead."

Nancy turned to look at him, her fingers brushing against his cheek.

"I was scared too," she admitted softly. "I made a mistake and taunted Johnny. He separated me from Penny, and I didn't know if he would hurt her. But I was also scared I wouldn't make it home. And then when you got there, and I was running down the stairs with Penny and I heard the gunshot..."

Frank didn't say anything but pulled her closer.

"Frank, I want to be with you. My kids are ready and I'm ready," Nancy said quietly.

Frank felt a rush of excitement flood through him. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the small black velvet box. Nancy's eyes widened.

And, standing in a semi dark kitchen, totally exhausted and bruised, his clothing torn, Frank slowly got down on one knee. Nancy's blue eyes were shining.

"I'm ready too. I know it hasn't been as long as most people date, but I'm certain that there is no woman in this world I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

"Nancy Drew, will you be my wife?" Frank opened the box, revealing a simple elegant diamond ring.

"This ring has been tossed in the bushes, rained upon, carried through a car crash and a hospital. It has gone through a two missing people, detective work, and dangerous combat. But it's still with me, and so is my love for you."

"Frank, I love you, and I would be honored to be your wife," Nancy whispered, touching the ring. "And I think my children are ready to have a real father." Frank slowly slid the ring onto Nancy's slender ring finger.

Then Nancy kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, both unaware of anything but each other.

* * *

Nancy blinked her eyes sleepily. She was on the other couch, with Penny across the living room from her. Frank was conked out beside her, and it was more than a little squished on the couch. Still, Nancy didn't mind one bit. She and Frank had fallen asleep almost immediately after sitting down on the couch, although neither had intended to sleep there all night.

A warm flush brushed her cheeks as she looked down at the ring on her finger.

She was most definitely entering a new stage of her life. But Nancy felt no doubts or hesitation. Frank was the man she truly wanted to share her life with. For a moment she just lay still, feeling warm and happy.

Finally Nancy got up and was aware of the quiet sounds from the kitchen. As she entered it, she saw that Vanessa was cooking and her children were sitting at the table with Ivan. They all squealed when they saw her, and soon she was buried beneath four small children.

"It was a stretch to convince them not to wake you up the moment they got up," Vanessa smiled. "Joe's still asleep."

"Laura and Fenton?" Nancy picked up Lizzy and guided Nick and Zoe back to their seats. "Helen?"

"Helen is still asleep and Laura and Fenton went out for a long walk. I think they want to give us all some space." Vanessa's grey eyes twinkled. "I see that you and Frank fell asleep on the couch."

"We meant to just sit down and talk, but fell asleep almost as soon as we sat," Nancy said, flushing.

"Nancy? Nancy?" Penny's voice came from the living room, slightly frantic. Quickly Nancy hurried into the room. Penny was sitting up in her makeshift bed, her brown eyes huge with alarm and fear.

"Good morning sweetie," Nancy said gently. "We're at my friend's house. Are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast?"

"Will you come with me?" Penny asked tremulously.

"Of course! Here, I want you to meet my children," Nancy took her hand and walked into the kitchen. "Nick and Zoe, this is Penny. She's going to be with us for a little while."

"Hello!" Nick said cheerfully, getting up. "How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm seven" Penny said shyly, clinging to Nancy's hand.

"I'm seven too!" Nick said excitedly. "I just turned seven last month! Are you in second grade?"

"I don't go to school," Penny flushed.

"That's okay," Nick said instantly. "I can show you mine."

Hesitantly, looking back at Nancy, Penny went and sat down by Nick. At first she was very tense, but gradually she began smiling and talking to Nick. Zoe, who was instantly fascinated with the older girl, began doing every possible silly thing in an effort to impress her. Nancy smiled and slipped out of the room.

"Hey." Frank was standing up, folding blankets from the couch. His dark eyes shone with happiness as he saw her.

"Good morning," Nancy smiled. "Are you going to come with us to the social worker meeting?"

"Of course," Frank nodded. "Why?"

"I… I need to talk to you. About the possibilities," Nancy said quietly.

"About Penny?" Frank asked slowly. Nancy nodded, looking troubled. "You've become attached to her," Frank said quietly.

"She's going to go into foster care most likely. We have the resources to take in another child, especially after we… we get married. We could do this for her, but…" Nancy bit her lip.

"But four children is a lot. It's a big time commitment, and we both wouldn't be able to work full time," Frank finished.

"I'm definitely not going over four," Nancy said. "And if…" She glanced at Frank. He immediately realized what she was thinking.

"Nancy, it doesn't matter to me that I'm not related to your children by blood. When we get married, and even now, they are my children. I don't need any biological ones," Frank said firmly, taking her hand. Nancy's blue eyes flickered to him, full of surprise.

"You…you're sure?" she asked.

"When I proposed to you, I didn't think that you would even want any more than three. I'm sure. Your children will be mine," Frank said softly. "As for Penny… she would be a large commitment. She's going to have major trust issues, especially with men…"

"She doesn't know how to read, she's never been to school," Nancy agreed. "She comes from a majorly messed up situation. But that only makes me want to keep her more. I know how to handle some of the abuse stuff, and we already have a family counselor. When I think about her possibly going into a horrible foster home…"

"I know," Frank agreed, his dark eyes troubled. "But who's going to stay home? This will be a major commitment. This will have to be a mutual decision, but I have a feeling it will impact you more... I want you to be happy, Nancy."

"Would you be open to keeping Penny with us?"

"Absolutely. But I want to make sure that this is the right choice for the whole family," Frank nodded. _My family,_ he thought with a rush. Excitement coursed through him. Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy, he was going to get to be their father! He would have children, a wife... Frank couldn't stop the huge smile which spread across his face.

"What?" Nancy asked bemusedly.

"I'm excited for our family, to build up stronger relationships with the children," Frank admitted. Nancy laughed.

"Me too."

"How about we talk to the whole family? We might not be in the right place to take Penny, but I'm sure that we could find a safe home for her among our friends and family," Frank suggested. "And we don't need to out rule the possibility of us taking her, we should just just examine all the options."

"Good idea, and we'll need to talk to the social worker first anyways. We don't even know if Penny could come with us," Nancy decided.

"Should we tell the family that we're engaged?" Frank asked, his pace quickening as Nancy stepped closer.

"Let's wait until we're all together at dinner. But let's tell the kids right before dinner. I want to tell them first."

"I can live with that," Frank said, leaning down and kissing her.

_**What do you think?**_


	22. New Blessings and Problems

_**The Helen and Ben scene coming up...**_**_ I won't say anything more._**

**_Anyways, thanks for all the beautiful reviews! We're at 250 which is amazing! It would totally make me super happy if we could get to 300 by the time the story is over! So review please? (puppy face)_**

**_Still a fair amount of chapters to come! _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Also, I'm not an expert by any means on foster care. Please let me know if there's something I should fix._**

"Nancy!" Penny clung to Nancy's hand as Frank walked into the room, her dark eyes wide with fright.

"Penny, I want you to meet my friend, Frank," Nancy said gently, stroking Penny's blond hair. Penny looked at Frank with wide suspicious eyes.

"Hi Penny, nice to meet you!" Frank smiled.

"Frank!" Nick ran across the kitchen. Frank laughed and lifted the boy up.

"Hey buddy! How's it going!" he exclaimed. Nick beamed.

"You kept your promise, and I kept mine," he smiled. As Frank put him down, Nick turned to Penny. "You don't have to be scared of Frank," he said earnestly. "He's the nicest guy in the whole world, and he's my best friend."

Penny just clung to Nancy's hand. Nick looked at Nancy questioningly.

"It's okay buddy, it's going to take Penny a little bit of time to get used to things here," Frank told him, ruffling his hair.

* * *

Helen slowly rubbed her neck as she approached the restaurant. She knew nobody was expecting her, but she wanted to say hello to everybody. After thinking she was going to be taken away from everybody she loved, she realized that her colleagues were actually very important to her. But being with Nancy, Frank, and Joe and Vanessa made her long for something more. She wanted her own family. Not that she didn't feel a part of the Hardy family, but… She wanted children of her own.

Helen pulled her arms tighter around herself. She wasn't able to have a child. At least, every pregnancy with Charley had ended in miscarriage. She suddenly felt the sorrow of her inability to have a child all over again.

"Helen!"

Helen found herself engulfed in Anna's, one of the other waiters, arms.

"We heard from the police that… Oh Helen, you were hurt!" Anna cried, pulling her inside the restaurant, noting the bruises.

Immediately the other waiters gathered around Helen, hugging her and expressing their happiness that she was alright. Soon some of the kitchen hands came out and ushered her back to the kitchen so they wouldn't disturb the customers. Helen found herself holding a mug of tea and laughing and talking with the other kitchen workers. Someone pulled out a stash of bakery treats, and Helen found herself holding a mug of tea.

"Helen."

And suddenly, Helen realized that Ben was beside her. He stared at her with wide green eyes, his light brown hair as tousled as ever.

"Hey," Helen said, suddenly shy. Ben reached up and lightly touched the bruise on her jaw. Her skin shivered at the touch. Wordlessly, he pulled her out the back kitchen door, into the cool spring air, away from the bustle and noise of the kitchen.

His hand brushed against her cheek again.

"Was this Charley?" Ben asked quietly.

"It's alright," Helen said softly, catching his hand in her own.

"No Helen, it's not okay! That bastard!" Ben's voice rose, and his eyes shone with an anger that Helen had never seen before. Instinctively, she backed up slightly, putting some space between them.

Ben noticed her movement and the anger instantly faded to self loathing.

"Helen… I'm not angry at you. I'm just mad… because I care," Ben said softly, taking her hand.

"I know. I'm sorry, it was instinct. I know you care.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to back up," Helen mumbled, keenly aware that he was still holding her hand.

"You have nothing to apologize for." He was still holding her hand, not letting go. She felt strangely safe with her hand in his large work calloused one. "Helen, have you ever heard that you don't know what you have until you lose it?"

Helen nodded silently.

"That's how I felt when you went missing. Like my whole world was on the verge of crashing to pieces around me. I realized that I care for you, and that I shouldn't have waited so long to tell you. Sometimes it seems like I have all the time in the world, and then…" his grip on her hand tightened. "Then it seems like there was so little when I thought the chance to have you in my life had slipped by."

Helen stood there, breathless, her dark eyes wide with surprise. Ben was looking at her with such intense… intense love. She had never seen a look like that directed her way. It was the look Frank gave Nancy.

Silently she began to cry, burying her head in her hands.

"Helen? Oh god, what have I done?" Ben's voice was anguished.

"No, it's not you, it's me. I just… I don't understand why you would want me. Why you would love me," Helen sobbed quietly, turning away from him.

And suddenly his arms were around him.

"Helen, don't tell me you believe those lies Charley has told you. You are an amazing woman, kind, caring, intelligent, courageous…"

"I'm not brave," Helen put in, shaking her head.

"Yes you are," Ben said with an intensity that almost scared her. "Charley is the scum of the earth for what he did to you and how he has made you feel about yourself. I see a beautiful woman who has been made to think that she is ugly."

"Do you see the scars?" Helen whispered. Ben's green eyes softened.

"I see them, and they only make you seem more beautiful."

"Are you asking me out?" Helen asked quietly.

And suddenly Ben laughed. "Yes, I suppose that's where all this was leading," he smiled.

"I can't have children. At least, I don't think I can, I've had so many miscarriages," Helen confessed hurriedly, thinking somehow this was important for him to know, even if they were just going to date.

"Was there abuse during the pregnancies?" Ben asked quietly. Helen thought back quickly, and nodded.

"Do you think…" Helen's eyes widened. Ben took her hand.

"You can't know for sure, but that does play a very large factor."

Helen nearly started crying again. Maybe she could have children after all.

"So will you go out with me? Maybe we could have dinner tomorrow night?" Ben asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes. Of course," Helen smiled.

"Good. I would be very sad if I poured out my heart to you and found out you didn't even like me," Ben grinned, his grip tightening on her hand.

"That would never happen," Helen told him. "When…" She stopped and swallowed. "When I was trapped, and I thought Charley was going to take me away, I couldn't stop missing you. I think I kind of came to the same conclusion about you, but… but I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way," Helen said softly.

Ben brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly.

"That would never happen."

* * *

By the time they actually got into the social worker's office, Penny was clinging to Nancy frantically and crying hysterically.

"Sweetie, what is the matter? Can you tell me why you're crying?" Nancy asked, trying to stay calm.

"I…I don't want you to leave me," Penny sobbed.

"Sweetie, did I say I was leaving you?" Nancy asked gently, stroking her hair.

"Penny?" a young lady read off a clipboard, looking up.

"That's us," Nancy said, standing up. Penny clung to her leg, and Nancy picked her up, following the lady back, Frank close behind.

"Hello, I'm Sophie Furrow, and I've been assigned as Penny's social worker and case worker," the young lady smiled. She was quite pretty, with large green eyes and a wide smile. Her dark hair was swept into a neat ponytail.

Penny wouldn't look at Sophie, burying her face in Nancy's shoulder.

"Penny? Can you say hello to Sophie?" Nancy asked. Penny slowly turned, still holding Nancy's hand, but said nothing, dark tearful eyes examining the woman.

"Hello Penny, I'm going to be helping you from now on," Sophie smiled. "Can you tell me who your friends are?"

"Nancy and Frank," Penny whispered.

"Nancy Drew," Nancy finished. "And this is my fiancée, Frank Hardy," she said, a rush going through her as she said the words. Frank squeezed her hand.

"We were unable to recover Penny's birth certificate, and I believe she has none. Her father, as you know, is in prison. He's unlikely to get an affordable bail. Which means that for now, Penny is a ward of the state since she has nobody to take care of her. The situation is a little tricky since she has no birth certificate," Sophie said seriously, pulling up a chair. "Her father will most likely not get parental rights. Could you go ahead and tell me what you know about Penny's situation?"

Nancy quickly recounted her first meeting with the girl and their interactions over the next few days, including the fact that Penny said she had never been to school.

"What will happen to her now?" Nancy asked quietly.

"First of all, I want to have Penny see a doctor," Sophie said firmly. "Based on what you've told me, she is probably malnourished and will need to go through a healthy weight gain process. The doctor can also asses how bad the abuse was, and she will let me know so we can factor that into decisions regarding Penny. We do not prosecute the abusers here, but they can be prosecuted through others. I believe that Penny's father will already be in jail for a long time on counts of kidnapping, bodily harm, and drug dealing. It sounds like there might be some suspicions of murder as well," Sophie flipped through her notes.

"Where will Penny go?" Frank asked, his brow creasing. "Can she continue to live with us until it's decided where she will be long term?"

"Penny will probably be put into the foster care system. I can see that you both care for her and seem to be very responsible, but legally, we can't entrust her to you until you have been approved by the state," Sophie said. Frank and Nancy exchanged a look.

"Do you think that will be good for her?" Nancy asked hesitantly, looking down at the girl burrowed in her arms. "I know everyone in this room is concerned only for her well being, but a foster home might not offer Penny with what she needs."

Fortunately, Sophie nodded.

"I agree. Penny has gone through a majorly traumatic event, and I can see that she has already become quite attached to you. However, we do want to make sure that we can get her in a home where her issues can be properly addressed…"

"My previous husband was abusive, and my children are all recovering well. I've been meeting with a counselor to help them, and I could do this for Penny as well. I understand the challenge," Nancy said quickly. "Is there any way that Penny could stay with us? At least until she is more stable?"

"Have you considered becoming foster parents? I believe under this situation, I could accelerate the process, and I believe you are the best place for Penny to go. I can assign you as her foster parents as soon as the paperwork is done and you both are approved."

Nancy glanced at Frank and he nodded.

They needed to talk.

"Could you excuse us?" Frank asked, standing up. "We need to talk about this…"

"Of course," Sophie agreed. "I was hoping to talk to Penny alone anyways."

By the time they got out of the room, Penny was sobbing hysterically, and Sophie was futilely attempting to distract her.

"Well, this is a mess," Frank commented as they found a bench in the hall. Nancy's hand slipped into his, and he smiled as he saw the diamond ring.

"We have to make a decision separate from our emotions for Penny," Nancy decided.

"I agree," Frank nodded. "We definitely want to think this through."

"Four children…" Nancy mused, leaning against Frank. "Frank, I want to go back to work…"

"Let's talk with the family."

* * *

"We're going to talk with our family, but we would like for Penny to go into a home that we know is stable," Frank told Sophie as the settled back down in the room.

"I definitely respect that. However, Penny will need to go into an already established foster home while all this is figured out. And whoever decides to take her will need to be an approved foster parent."

"How long would it take to become foster parents?" Nancy asked.

Sophie pulled out some papers from a filing cabinet and handed them to Frank.

"The parents will need to take this class, and go through ongoing training. We'll need background checks, a house study, income reports, references and recommendations about their ability to take care of a child. I can accelerate the process, seeing that Penny will probably have a lot of emotional stress being separated from you and your family, but the shortest I could make it would be a week," Sophie said, standing up. "And that would be pushing it."

"Can't you make an exception?" Nancy hugged Penny tightly. "We have people who can tell you right now that we can provide for a child. You can talk to my children. I've just heard so many things about foster homes…"

"I'm sorry, but I legally can't entrust Penny to you until you have been licensed as foster parents." Sophie looked apologetic.

Nancy and Frank exchanged a worried look.

"I feel horrible about this," Nancy murmured as they walked back to the car.

"So do I," Frank agreed, wrapping his arm around her. Penny had been hysterical when they had pulled her away from Nancy, and her cries had broken Frank's heart.

"I don't understand why they can't just let her stay with us?! Just until we figure out who will take her!"

"Legal obligation," Frank murmured, although he knew that Nancy wasn't asking the question to get an answer. "At least she gave us the address of the foster parents. Um, Nancy, I kind of forgot to tell you, but I might be losing my job," Frank said suddenly.

"What?" Nancy looked up.

"We broke in without a warrant or permission. The chief wants to meet with me tomorrow," Frank swallowed.

"Oh, Frank, I'm sorry," Nancy whispered, touching his arm.

It seemed their happy ending was getting all mixed up.

_**Please review! *Cute kitten meow***_


	23. Announcements

_**Another chapter! I'm too tired to write something witty, so we'll just stick with a giant thank you to all readers and reviewers! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"A is for apple, B is for 'nana, C is for candy…"

Joe opened one eye to find that there was a little blond head roaming around his room.

"D is for Daddy wake up!" The song hit its climax as Ivan yelled and jumped up on top of Joe.

"Ahhh!" Joe yelled in mock surprise, and began tickling the little boy.

"No, Daddy, stop! Daddy!" Ivan shrieked with laughter, wriggling all over the place.

"Where is your Mommy?" Joe asked Ivan once he was done tickling his son.

"Um…" Ivan's grey eyes narrowed in an expression of concentration. "She said, wake up Daddy because... because I forgot."

"Hmm, sounds important," Joe nodded, sliding out from under the covers and throwing on a sweatshirt over his t-shirt. He didn't bother changing out of the sweatpants. "Alright, let's see what Mommy is up to," Joe said, scooping up his son, and headed down the stairs.

_Should I go into work? Probably not until the Chief asked to see me. That would kind of suck if I lost my job..._

As Joe walked into the kitchen he was hit suddenly by the emptiness of the house. There was no sign of his parents, no Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy running around, Frank was there…

_Wow this is awesome._ Although Joe truly loved his family, the house was getting a little crowded. And that was an understatement. Vanessa was in the kitchen, and something was sizzling in a pan. From the way Joe's stomach growled, it was definitely meat.

"Mmm smells good," Joe said, wrapping his arms around her after putting Ivan down.

"Don't try to take any, it's for a casserole," Vanessa told him after pausing to kiss him.

"Any news from the Chief?" Joe asked.

"He contacted Frank and is meeting with him tomorrow. He doesn't want either of you to come to work."

"Crap," Joe swallowed. That wasn't sounding great.

"We'll manage," Vanessa said determinedly.

"I know, it's just not a great time for unemployment," Joe mumbled, going to the fridge and pulling out a juice box. "Did we schedule a ultrasound?"

"Next week," Vanessa nodded.

"Me! Me!" Ivan fussed, holding his hands up for the juice box that Joe was drinking.

"Just a little bit, this one is for Daddy who really needs a beer not a juice box," Joe told him, letting him sip from the small straw.

"Joe!"

"Sorry babe," Joe grinned. She rolled her eyes at him not able to hold back the laugh which tumbled from her lips as she watched large muscular, handsome Joe drinking out of a little juice box. "Here, let me help you with that casserole."

"We're having a big family dinner with everybody tonight," Vanessa told him.

"Sounds great. How were Nancy and Helen this morning?"

"Bruised up, but okay. The social worker wouldn't let Penny stay with us."

"Then where is she?" Joe frowned, looking up from the recipe.

"Foster home."

"Crap," Joe's brow creased.

"I know."

"So where is everybody?" Joe pulled out a pot.

"Frank, Nancy, and her kids went back to apartment to see if they can move back into it again. Helen is at the restaurant, and your mom and dad are looking at some houses."

"So it's just us until dinner," Joe observed. "How about we finish up that casserole and have some family time with Ivan? The poor kid hasn't seen much of either of us, and now that I can't go into work…"

Vanessa smiled.

"Sounds perfect."

"I can't tell you how excited I am to have my space back," Nancy sighed, examining the apartment. The broken windows were replaced, and all the glass was swept up. Everything looked perfectly normal. Except the pieces of decoration that had to be thrown out. And the bullet holes in the couch…

"Look Mommy, I found my ninja robot!" Nick exclaimed excitedly, running into the living room.

"Awesome!" Nancy smiled.

"Are we staying here tonight?" Nick asked.

"We're going to stay one more night at Joe and Vanessa's house, but tomorrow we'll be coming back here."

"Yay!" Nick cheered.

Nancy was so impressed at how well Nick was handling the whole situation. She had gathered from brief conversations with him that Frank had been majorly helpful. However, the forced separation had its toll, and all three children were around her constantly, wanting to be held, cuddled with, or just reassure themselves that she was there. But maybe when Frank joined the family…

Nancy smiled down at Lizzy who was hugging her leg, and picked the little girl up. After what had happened, Nancy was more than glad to cuddle with her children.

Frank's strong arm wrapped around her, and she smiled at him.

"Can you say hi to Frank?" Nancy asked Lizzy. Lizzy's blue eyes turned to Frank and a large smile spread across her face.

Wasn't it only months ago that Lizzy had been afraid of all men?

Nancy glanced at Frank and was almost taken back by the intensity of happiness in his expression as he talked to Lizzy.

She checked her watch. They needed to head out soon for the dinner. Time to talk to the kids.

"Alright everybody, we need to talk about something very important," Nancy said, sitting down on the couch beside Frank. Nick put down his robot toy and ran to the couch, Zoe close behind.

"Is Dad coming back?" Nick asked quietly, his blue eyes wide. The trace of fear in her eyes caused her chest to ache.

"No, he isn't. This isn't about your father at all. This is about Frank and I."

Immediately, Nick's gaze switched to Frank, flitting back and forth between them.

"Frank and I are going to get married," Nancy told them.

Nick and Zoe exchanged a look and then glanced at Frank.

"So… Frank will be our new Dad?" Nick asked slowly. Nancy felt Frank's grip on her hand tighten, and she quickly glanced at him. He was nervous.

"Yes, after we're married, Frank will be living with us, and he'll be part of our family," Nancy said carefully.

And suddenly a huge smile spread across Nick's face.

"I want Frank to be my daddy," he said, shyly looking at Frank.

"Me too," Zoe piped up.

"Alright, let's give Frank a big hug then!" Nancy beamed. She stood back for a moment as Frank gathered her laughing children in his arms. Then she joined in.

* * *

"We have an announcement," Frank said, looking around the table.

Laura smiled, and took Fenton's hand.

"Frank proposed, and I've accepted," Nancy smiled. Vanessa squealed and hugged Nancy, and a huge smile spread across Helen's face.

"Way to go, bro!" Joe grinned, clapping Frank on the back as Laura and Fenton expressed their congratulations. "When exactly did this happen?" Joe asked as the talking ebbed slightly.

"Last night," Nancy blushed, showing the ring.

"Last night as in when you both were beaten up and dirty and it was like 3 am and you were both exhausted?" Joe asked.

"Yes," Frank smiled at Nancy.

"Typical Frank and Nancy," Joe shook his head with a grin.

"So when will the wedding be?" Laura's eyes were lit up.

"We haven't gotten that far, Mom," Frank laughed.

Joe and Vanessa exchanged a look.

"We have something to say too. Vanessa and I are having another baby."

"Oh my goodness, congratulations!" Nancy beamed.

"Yay!" Laura squealed. "Congratulations!"

"We were wondering when you would tell us," Fenton smiled.

"Wait, you knew too?" Vanessa asked.

"Laura and I were waiting for you to announce it before we mentioned it," Fenton said gently.

"Hold on, what do you mean 'too'?" Frank asked.

"I figured it out too," Nancy confessed.

"Am I the only one who didn't realize this?" Frank looked around.

"I have to say, I suspected too," Helen admitted.

"The famous detective is the only one who didn't pick up on this," Joe teased.

"Alright, I have a question," Nancy cleared her throat. "Penny was put into foster care by the social worker. We're trying to figure out what would be best for her and…" Nancy quickly explained the situation.

Helen's eyes brightened. _Could she…_ A rush of excitement coursed through her. Maybe she could help a child through what she herself had struggled to overcome. Her heart went out to the small girl. She could provide a home, she had no men living with her, maybe she could get an apartment… Helen's heart started racing, and she felt a sudden feeling of purpose.

Could she do it? Would she meet their standards? Was she ready for this?

"Do… do you think I could qualify?" Helen asked breathlessly.

"Do you want her?" Nancy asked.

"Yes, I… I do. I mean, I don't know how it would work, I don't even have my own place…"

"If you want this, we'll support you," Frank said seriously. "Don't let money or circumstance stop you."

"Then…" Helen paused, feeling as if she was on the edge of a pivotal turn in her life. What an eventful day it had been. "Then I would like to see if I could be her foster parent."

_**Please Review :D**_


	24. Complications

_**I am so sorry this chapter is so short. I have a lot going on at the moment, a deadline on a contest to meet (writing contest actually) and stuff. I promise a large chapter next time! Also, we are definitely approaching the end... And before you ask about a sequel, it's not very likely, but possible. My fanfiction career might be going on pause in general for a little bit once this story is over. But cheer up! Nothing is decided yet! **_

_**Probably about a chapter or two left :'(**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews and big thanks to those who have followed, favorited, or are just reading! You are all awesome and deserve cute kittens curled up in your arms, unless you are allergic. Or hate cats.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Or Disney movies.**_

"Helen, we would like to speak to you," Laura said gently. They were scattered throughout the house, the children curled up with Frank and Nancy, watching a Disney movie, and Joe and Vanessa watching as well.

Helen turned to see Fenton and Laura.

"Yes?" she asked nervously.

"We were wondering if you would like to live with us. We're planning on buying a fairly large house and we'll have extra room. If you would like to, we would love to have you. This isn't permanent, just as long as you need a place, especially with Penny," Fenton explained.

"You… you would want me to stay with you?" Helen's eyes widened at their kindness. She was going to need a new place with Frank and Nancy getting married.

"Only if you're comfortable with it," Laura assured her. "And we won't be offended if you would like to go somewhere else."

"No, I would love to stay with you!" Helen said excitedly.

"Then it's settled," Fenton smiled, and Laura gave her a hug.

* * *

"Mom?"

Nancy groaned and turned over on her side.

"Mom!" Nick's voice was more insistent. Had he had another nightmare? Nancy groaned and opened her eyes. "Your cell phone is ringing," Nick whispered.

_What?_ Nancy became aware of the soft jingling noise. She got out of bed, heavy with exhaustion. Was the whole world against her getting a good night's sleep?

"Hello?" Nancy was unable to bite back the yawn.

"Nancy? This is Sophie Furrow, Penny's social worker. Penny is in the hospital."

"What?!" Nancy was suddenly awake. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's very malnourished, and when she was put into a home, she wouldn't eat or drink because of her intense emotional distress. She passed out and was taken to the hospital. We can't get her to interact with us. She's currently on a tube and IV. We were hoping you could help."

_Now you listen to me,_ Nancy thought bitterly, grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

* * *

"Penny?" Helen called softly, moving into the dimly lit room. Nancy was staying back in the waiting room as an attempt to transfer Penny's affections to Helen.

Her heart nearly broke as she saw the small thin girl lying in the white hospital bed, a tube coming out of her arm and her nose. Her skin looked almost transparent, and unhealthy, white and sunken. Helen wondered why she didn't notice that before.

"Helen?" Penny stirred, her dark eyes blinking open. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?" Helen asked gently, sitting beside the bed. Penny knew who she was, and that was definitely a good thing.

"Where's Nancy?" Penny whispered, but looked calm.

"She's not here right now, just me. Is that okay with you?" Helen asked carefully. When talking to Nancy on the car ride there, Nancy had theorized that Penny's instant attachment to her was a result of being the first person who had expressed kindness.

Hopefully, if she realized Helen's caring nature, she would transfer to had decided that Helen should mostly interact with Penny, so that when Penny eventually went home with Helen, hopefully, she would have no issues.

"Yes," Penny whispered. One of her hands clasped onto Helen's. "Don't leave me. I'm scared."

"I'm not going anywhere," Helen said softly, brushing a strand of blond hair out of Penny's face.

A doctor came in, and Penny instantly started shaking and becoming unresponsive.

"No change," the doctor looked alarmed, checking the different equipment.

"Listen, she needs a woman doctor," Helen told the doctor.

"You know the patient?" He looked surprised.

"Yes. She's had a lot of trauma from men. Isn't there a woman doctor that could see her?"

"They didn't tell us that when she was admitted," the doctor frowned. He glanced at Penny. "That would make a lot of sense. Hold on."

A couple minutes, a female doctor came in, and Penny quickly relaxed.

"How are you feeling?" the woman smiled. Penny didn't say anything, but clung to Helen's hand. "Well, I'm glad you have a friend with you. I'm Doctor Fields," the woman introduced herself, and turned to Helen. "I'm going to give Penny a little medication that will make her feel sleepy. It's important that her body rests after the stress she's put on it."

"Can I stay here?" Helen asked.

"Of course. I'm sure that would make Penny feel better," Dr. Fields smiled at the little girl. "She's already looking a little better. Dr. Potter was unable to get her to respond."

"She's afraid of men," Helen explained.

Dr. Fields' eyes flashed with sympathy.

"I'm very glad you told us," she told Helen. "Knowing something like that is very important. Penny is malnourished and a little dehydrated, and her reaction to the doctor and her foster parents was only putting more stress on her body. Let's see if we can get you to get some rest," Dr. Fields smiled at Penny. "And then we can see about removing that IV and try to get Penny to eat and drink naturally. I think if you could get her to do that, she wouldn't need to be on the IV."

"That sounds good, doesn't it?" Helen smiled at Penny.

"You'll stay here?" Penny asked.

"I'll be right here."

But whether that would be true long term was still uncertain. However, looking at the sleeping Penny, Helen knew she would do whatever it took to get approved as a foster parent.

_**Still a chapter or two to go!**_

_**Please review! :)**_


	25. Pieces Falling in Place

_**My apologies for another short chapter. Busy-ness keeps happening. **_

_**Sad news. This is the second to last chapter, the next one will be the last, possibly the end of this string of characters. I love them so much, Nick, Zoe, Lizzy, Helen- all the extra characters, and can barely imagine writing a Nancy/Frank story without them! Which is why I hesitate to say this is over. So please please send me a PM or review to tell me what you think. **_

_**In addition, I will be taking a break from fanfiction after this story is complete. I haven't decided how long. I will probably end up missing you all and come back fairly soon. We'll see. **_

_**One chapter to go. Thanks for holding out through all this and sticking with the story! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Thanks for coming out," Sophie said. Her hair was messy, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes.

Nancy's gaze flitted to the soundly sleeping young couple sitting in the waiting room.

"What happened?" Nancy asked. Her voice had a hard edge that she couldn't completely take out.

"Easy tiger," Frank murmured, putting his arm around her.

"Apparently Penny wouldn't eat or drink, and her body was going through massive trauma. She passed out." Sophie wouldn't quite look at Nancy.  
Nancy glanced at the couple again, not fully believing that story. There had to be something else.

"They yelled at her."

The look on Sophie's face told her that her guess was correct.

"You placed a very very vulnerable girl in a home where she was yelled at for not wanting to eat." Nancy's voice rose.

Listen, we didn't know that they would be frustrated with her. They seemed like a very loving couple..."

Nancy's eyes glinted dangerously and she opened her mouth to say something more. Something not very nice at all.

"Nancy, don't make this harder on Helen's case," Frank whispered, pulling her back.

He was right. They needed Sophie to grant Helen guardianship of Penny.

"At least she's alright," Nancy murmured, taking a deep breath. Sophie nodded.

"This is a mess. We're thinking that Penny might need to go to a trauma recovery center. We can't place her in a home after this."

"A trauma recovery center?" Nancy froze.

Sophie glanced at her.

"We don't have any other option really. Are you going to visit Penny?"

"I'm letting my good friend Helen talk to her. She's planning on applying to become a foster parent. She wants Penny."

"And Penny?"

"Loves her."

That was a white lie. Nancy wasn't totally sure how their interactions were, but the fact that Helen hadn't come back to get her yet told her that it was probably going well.

Sophie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"As soon as she is registered as a foster parent, I promise I will assign Penny to her. But she'll have to be approved as a foster parent first; I just can't make any exceptions."

"We understand," Frank said quickly.

"And in the meantime?" Nancy asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

"I know you don't trust me, Nancy, and I don't blame you. But this trauma recovery center is good. I think it will help Penny, and we both know she has serious challenges to overcome. I won't make her stay there any longer than necessary."

"So as soon as Helen is approved, Penny can go with her?" Nancy checked.

"Yes. As good as the center is, in the end Penny needs a stable home above all else."

"I'll give you Helen's number. I'm sure she'll want to begin the process as soon as possible," Nancy said, somewhat satisfied. "Can we visit her at the center?"

"I'm sure that would be possible to arrange."

* * *

"Sir," Frank nodded at Chief Morgan, standing in the doorway. The older man looked up, putting his papers down.

"Detective Hardy, please take a seat." His voice was firm, and Frank tried not to wince at the formal use of his title. Silently Frank sat down in the chair opposite the chief's desk. After his late night at the hospital, Frank wished the meeting wasn't at eight in the morning. Nancy was probably still sleeping.

Chief Morgan leaned back in his chair, his hazel eyes examining Frank steadily.

"You broke into a suspect's house with no search warrant, kept vital clues on your mystery from myself and your fellow detectives. You used your field's gear for a private mission, and broke countless department rules!" Chief Morgan's voice rose.

"I'm sorry sir. There is an explanation, but I will not argue that what I did was most definitely not in line with the department," Frank said, staring straight ahead.

"You don't think it's in line with the department to save two hostages and a small child while uncovering a massive drug ring?"

"Sir?" Frank looked up with surprise. Chief Morgan's eyes were glinting.

"Frank, I know this case was hard for you, especially once your girlfriend got involved. I don't blame you for not trusting any of the officers or detectives here with risk to her life. You are new and do not know us, and you were faced with evidence that there was a informant for the enemies in the field. Your decisions were understandable under the circumstances."

"Sir? What about…" Frank could barely believe his ears.

"The search warrant issue will not be brought to court in Johnny's case. Frank, you saved three people." The Chief paused. "You know we found a prepared grave in the basement?"

Frank felt a chill run down his spine. "No…" he whispered. Chief Morgan's face softened sympathetically.

"It's good that you found your girlfriend when you did. I categorically deny that I support breaking into suspect's homes without a warrant, but I think this time, you did the right thing."

_Oh god, he had been so close to losing her…_

"Of course, for form's sake, I can't just let you go without repercussions."

Frank's stomach dropped. _Crap. He was going to lose his job after all. What was he going to tell Nancy? Oh god, and Joe and Vanessa!_

Chief Morgan's eyes twinkled.

"You will have a one week paid suspension beginning today. This will not go on your record."

Frank's head jerked up. He met Chief Morgan's glittering eyes. The man knew exactly what he was doing. Basically Frank had just received a week of paid vacation in the disguise of discipline.

"And Officer Joe Hardy?" Frank asked.

"What I just told you goes for him as well. Please inform him for me."

"I will, sir. Thank you sir," Frank said earnestly, not able to keep the smile of relief off his face. He stood up to leave.  
"Frank?"

Frank turned.

"I hope that next time you'll be able to trust me?" Chief Morgan asked.

Frank nodded. He would trust the Chief.

"Oh, and I'd like to meet your girlfriend sometime," Chief Morgan said, leaning back. "I have it from many accounts that she is a skilled detective."

"I couldn't have solved this case without her," Frank smiled proudly. "I'll bring her by sometime. Thank you."

With that, Frank slipped out of the office, feeling much more relieved than he had in a long time.

_**Please let me know what you think! Also, please leave a review and let me know if you think this series of stories should be over, or if there should be another! I want to know what you think!**_


	26. Finding Family

_**So. This is the last chapter.**_

_**A HUGE GIGANTIC thank you to all who read! The reviews were also amazing frequent and encouraging! This has been another good experience! **_

_**So after some thought and weighing of options and convincing reviews, I will announce some exciting news.**_

_**There will be a third story to this series!**_

_**I will still be taking a break, for about 2 weeks most likely. I will add a chapter to this story when the sequel is going to go up. (It doesn't have a name yet) So Author Follow me or just follow this story to make sure you get the update if you are interested in reading the next one!**_

_**Thank you, thank you, thank you!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys**_

"Alright, are you ready?" Helen asked eagerly, exchanging a smile with Laura.

"Ready," Nancy grinned, shifting Lizzy on her hip.

"Let's see it," Joe rubbed his hands together, and bent down to pick Ivan up.

"Alright, here we go. Grand tour," Fenton announced, opening the door.

"It's beautiful!" Vanessa exclaimed. Quickly Laura and Helen led the group through the house. It had large and spacious rooms with big windows. The upstairs was equipped with a kitchenette and basically a separate living place, with two bedrooms.

"Penny and I will be up here," Helen explained.

"Has the house been approved?" Frank asked, giving Nick a piggy back ride.

"An official came yesterday. It passed with flying colors. Everything else has been completed, all the papers, the training session. All I need to do is wait for it to go through the state. We're almost there," Helen beamed.

"How's Penny doing?" Vanessa asked gently.

"She's doing alright. She asks me every time I visit when she gets to go home with me. She's starting to eat more when I'm not there, which is good."

Nancy watched Helen's eyes shine as she spoke about Penny. The young woman's demeanor was light and excited. Helen was already talking to Sophie about adopting Penny. And she had confided in her about a certain Benjamin Leo.

Nancy tried to remember the tired, broken, and burdened woman she had first met all those years ago with difficulty. They had both come a long way.

* * *

Helen pulled up to the large colorful building, and quickly spotted a small figure waiting by the door with Sophie. She jumped out of the car, a huge smile spreading across her face.

"Helen!" Penny flew across the sidewalk towards her, blond hair streaming behind her.

"Penny!" Helen twirled the small girl around in a hug.

"I'm so excited!" Penny gasped, her arms wrapped around Helen's waist. Although still small and thin, Penny was radiating a healthy aura. Her bruises and cuts had all faded, and her face no long held the sharp pinched look it once did.

"Are you ready to go home?" Helen asked.

"Yes! Our very own home," Penny said excitedly, swinging Helen's hand.

Helen paused to look back and wave to Sophie. As a foster parent, she knows that she will be in contact fairly often with Sophie, as well as Penny's father's lawyers. She was up for the challenge.

"Laura and Fenton will be there," Helen reminded Penny, helping her buckle in. Laura and Fenton had come to visit Penny with Helen, and although Penny obviously wasn't quite comfortable with Fenton being there, it didn't seem to be a huge problem either.

"But we have our own little house upstairs. Just ours," Penny said excitedly. Helen had brought pictures of the house, which Penny knew by memory.

"Yes. It'll be just ours. For our little family."

"Our family," Penny repeated.

Both felt a rush of happiness at those two words.

* * *

"Nick, can you get the door? It should be Frank," Nancy asked loudly over Lizzy's crying. It was one of those chaotic days where toys were all over the floor, dirty laundry was overflowing in hampers, and dishes were scattered all over the house.

"I got it, Mom!" Nick yelled, scurrying towards the door.

Zoe began crying as well as she tripped over a toy and fell hard. Her blue eyes filled with tears, and she stretched her arms out to Nancy.

"Come here sweetie," Nancy said gently, rubbing her back. "You're okay. You're fine. Why don't you go see who's at the door?"

_Crying child number one appeased_, Nancy thought with satisfaction as she watched Zoe scamper towards the door. She focused on Lizzy, who was still wailing with considerable force.

She could hear Frank's deep voice and rich laughter at the door.

"Somebody's sad today?"

She started and looked up. Frank was standing in the doorway, holding Zoe, a small smile on his handsome face.

"She won't stop crying. I think she's worn out."

"Aww, Lizzy, don't cry," Frank put Zoe down and reached out to take Lizzy. "I'll take a turn with her, why don't you get a drink? You look exhausted."

Nancy handed Lizzy to him, and looked at Frank gratefully.

"I'll make her a bottle and see if that settles her down."

"Can we have a snack?" Nick asked, following her to the kitchen, Zoe trailing behind.

"Nick, Zoe, come help me with Lizzy," Frank called from the children's room.

Nick and Zoe took off at a run, making Nancy smile. She felt like if she had one more thing to do, she was going to go insane. Frank could handle the kids for a moment. She quickly put together sippy cup of hot milk, and sat down on the couch as it whirred in the microwave…

"Nancy?"

Nancy opened her eyes to find Frank's face in front of her.

"Crap. How long was I asleep?" Nancy asked, blinking.

"About an hour."

"Shoot. Where are the kids?"

"Lizzy is asleep, Zoe and Nick are doing a puzzle in their room."

"I'm still dreaming."

"Nope," Frank smiled, sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Did you put Lizzy in…"

"She's in her bed. I put up the safety railings so she won't roll out."

"Please marry me right now."

"Maybe we should wait until our wedding. After all, we've put all that planning into it."

"Plus you're parents might be upset," Nancy mused.

"Bess would have a fit."

"The invitations are already out."

"Joe would tease us to no end," Frank added. "He still hasn't shut up about my proposal to you." He leaned towards Nancy, and she kissed him gently.

"Are you off work for the day?"

"Yep. I have to go in early tomorrow. But I'm free all evening."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

"I think we're having hot dogs. I'm having one of those days," Nancy groaned. Being a single mom was by no means easy. Especially on a Saturday when the kids were home all day.

"Hot dogs sound excellent."

"Chief Morgan offered me a part time job in the detective field," Nancy said suddenly.

"He told me," Frank said seriously.

"I would be your assistant."

"If you take the job, we'll do it as equals," Frank said firmly. "You would be my partner."

"I have to think about it. What it would mean for the kids and our family. I was so sure that being a lawyer was the right path, but now I don't know."

"That's fine. I will support you whatever you decide."

Nancy looked into Frank's rich brown eyes and felt a jolt of love. Her family would never be perfect; it was stitched together and there were old wounds to deal with. But they would keep fighting past old demons and present challenges together. And that was what mattered.

_**I would love to hear any last thoughts, so please leave a review! :)**_

_**Thank you!**_


	27. Another Beginning

_**I am a liar. **_

_**What did I say? Around two weeks until the sequel? Well, a reviewer reminded me that it's been THREE! And I'm not even very far into my writing! My schedule has been hectic, but I'm going to go ahead and start the next story.**_

_**It will be called Convergence of Chaos.**_

_**I will post it later this evening, so keep an eye out for it!**_

_**This is not an author's note chapter. Those aren't allowed. This is simply a long author's note on part of a story. (See, not breaking any of my fanfiction rules! Ha ha ha)**_

_**Thanks for waiting and hopefully see you at the next story!**_

_**Quick summary of Convergence of Chaos without giving anything away:**_

_**Nancy and Frank go on a camping trip with the kiddos. Which will **__obviously__** be uneventful and chummy.**_

_**Vanessa and Joe are approaching the birth of their 2nd.**_

_**Helen struggles to help Penny while also keeping her relationship with Ben.**_

_**That is basically the beginning scenario. **_

_**Now imagine everything that could wrong.**_

* * *

Nancy looked and felt her stomach drop. It was a large bear trap, partially covered in leaves, the jagged edges shining in the weak sunlight filtering through the trees.

"Nick, step back," she said seriously. He scooted away from the trap, his blue eyes large with alarm.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"It's a bear trap. They're very dangerous and can hurt you very seriously. Frank, we need to disarm this."

"I know," Frank agreed. "But why is there a trap out here? This is a state park; a protected one. There isn't any hunting allowed."

* * *

Joe yawned and turned over in bed. Vanessa was sleeping soundly, her blond hair falling into her face. He smiled and couldn't resist the urge to kiss her softly. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Joe gently touched her stomach.

Hey baby girl," he whispered. He felt a slight movement against his hand and his eyes widened. He had felt the baby moving! He put his hand on again and felt the baby kick.

His daughter was going to be a fighter. For sure. He could teach her self-defense and then she could go beat up the boys on the playground…

Just two more months to go and he could meet his little girl.

* * *

The ringing of a cell phone distracted Helen from her thoughts and she grabbed her phone from her bag.

"Hey, Ben!" she said happily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Penny frown, her dark eyes widening with fear and unhappiness.

That was the other problem.

Penny wouldn't even talk to Helen's boyfriend.

* * *

_**There's your sneak peak!**_

_**More info on the actual story. Hope to see you there!**_


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